 |
|
 |
|
Politics and Associated Industries:
Making informed decisions
By Jim DeWalt,
President / CEO
It’s that time of the year and, no, I’m not referring to the holiday season – it’s the political season: signs along roadways and in front yards, banners and more signs on bridges and overpasses, and invitations to all manner of “kick-off” events and fundraisers. Representative government at work.
But it’s a serious time with serious issues. Lots of choices and decisions to be made at every turn: local, state and national levels; office-seekers asking to be elected or re-elected; new laws being proposed through the initiative process (lots of initiatives this year, so be prepared to run a gauntlet of signature gatherers this summer at every home center, grocery store and fruit stand.)
Read More of Jim DeWalt’s
FACT of the MATTER
|
|
Associated Industries recognized by the Association of Washington Business for contribution to higher education
 On May 11, 2010, Associated Industries was one of 21 Washington employers recognized for their organizations’ volunteerism and community service by the Association of Washington Business (AWB) Community Service Awards.
At the Annual AWB meeting, held in Spokane, President and CEO Jim DeWalt accepted the 2010 Community Service Award for A.I.’s contribution to education provided through its Associated Industries Bright Promise Program. The program was established in 2009 to provide half tuition scholarships to students attending either Eastern Washington University or The Community Colleges of Spokane.
|
REMINDER: Associated Industries email changes from .com to .net
If you’ve received emails recently from one of the A.I. staff, you may have noticed the person’s email has changed. In order to stem the tide of SPAM that continues to flood our email boxes, we have changed our email addresses to end in “.net” rather than “.com.” To ensure continued communications during the transition, both email addresses will be operative, but please note the change. We don’t want to miss a single email from our members and community!
For more information:
Contact Bob Bakie, Associated Industries CFO
at 509.326.6885 or 800.720.4291 or bbakie@aiin.net |
IRS provides HIRE Act Questions and Answers for employers |
Under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, enacted March 18, 2010, two new tax benefits are available to employers who hire certain previously-unemployed workers (“qualified employees”). A press release, details, related information and helpful Q & A’s are on the IRS.gov website. |
|
Compensation recommendations offered for your organization’s leaders
Every three to four years Associated Industries conducts a detailed survey of executive compensation. It includes CEO, CFO and all other top executives, with salary, bonus, incentive, and other compensation elements correlated with the annual sales volume of your business. We have had a few members ask us to conduct the research again in 2010. (Our last A.I. ExecuComp Survey was done in 2008.) To determine interest, we need your input on whether this would be of value to you, and if you would be willing to participate. The cost of the survey results for participants would be $350 for A.I. members.
For more information:
Contact Bill Sweigert, Vice President Training & Development
at 509.777.2658 or 800.720.4291 or bsweigert@aiin.net |
Associated Employers Trust and Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce join to offer new health insurance benefit for members
On April 23, 2010, Kim Capeloto, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (GVCC) President & CEO, announced the GVCC has joined a statewide alliance offering an employee benefit program through Associated Employers Trust (AET). “Approximately 80 percent of our Chamber members are small- to medium-sized businesses,” Kim Capeloto explained, “providing affordable healthcare employee benefits is rated as one of our members’ top business concerns. We are so pleased that – through our alliance with AET – we will now be able to give our members the buying power and affordable options they need to attract and retain a quality workforce. And in the process, we’re helping our small businesses succeed.”
|
 
SMALL BUSINESS OWNER:
Watch your mail for information regarding a HealthCare Act Workshop “Penalties, Payouts, Mandates, and More” presented by Associated Industries and LeMaster Daniels, and mark your calendar for 7 –9:30am, Wed., June 23rd.
You’ll learn more about timelines, tax credits, possible penalties and reporting procedures and deadlines. Information you need to know! |
|
Congratulations to the following Associated Industries Members, for receiving the first Seattle Business magazine “Washington Manufacturing Awards,” demonstrating, as the announcement declares, that “…manufacturing in this state is not only alive and kicking …it’s also a thriving generator of innovative ideas, companies, products, technologies and people.”
- Haskins Steel Co., Spokane, Runner Up in the Midsize Company range for “Manufacturer of the Year”;
- Lighthouse for the Blind (Seattle and Spokane), winner of “Manufacturer of the Year” in the Non-Profit category; and
- Roy & Connie Haskins (Haskins Steel Co.) Runners Up as Midsize Manufacturing “Executive of the Year”
Congratulations! |
Affordable Health Care Act includes timelines for employer and group health plan mandates
There continues to be much confusion surrounding the Senate Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the accompanying House Reconciliation Bill signed into law on March 23, 2010.
Directives have since been issued to various government agencies to develop regulations to implement the components of the new law. Some components will have an immediate impact on group health plans; other portions of the act won’t be implemented for several years.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT
HEALTHCARE ACT TIMELINES
LEGAL-ease:
Disparate impact claims against the Chicago Fire Department may proceed
On May 24, a unanimous United States Supreme Court held that those alleging an employment practice has had a disparate impact on them, in violation of Title VII, may raise a claim with the EEOC within 300 days of the adoption of that practice, as well as the application of that practice. This ruling is important because it expands the timeframe within which a claim may be raised with the EEOC, a prerequisite to Federal suit. As a result, employers’ procedural defenses with regard to the 300-day statute of limitations are limited. Lewis v. City of Chicago, ___ US ___, No. 08-974 (2010).
READ MORE |
Presented below is a hypothetical fact pattern based on a compilation of questions related to discipline and termination issues received by Associated Industries’ In-house Counsel. The information below is not a substitution for competent legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship between Associated Industries’ In-house Counsel and any readers or recipients of this information. Additionally, this material reflects the current state of the law at the time of development. Where specific legal issues arise, recipients or readers should seek private legal counsel.
THE DILEMMA
You are the client services manager of a local marketing firm. The organization employs 47 people. The management team consists of the CEO, CFO, Operations Manager, Artistic Director, and you. You supervise all of the sales staff. Last week one of the firm’s artists, Jim, was sitting with you in the lunchroom and suddenly told you that he had been working with the President of one of the firm’s largest clients, Vandelay Industries, to develop a new logo.
Over the course of the last couple of months, Vandelay’s President had begun to barrage him with a series of race-based comments and questions about Jim’s immigrant status. Jim explained that he is really bothered by these comments but has said nothing to his supervisor, the Artistic Director, because he did not want to jeopardize the business relationship. Jim said he was just telling you so he could vent a bit about it.
Do you, as a member of the management team, need to do anything about this comment?
Back To Top |
 Morning Briefing:
“From Protecting Your Personal Assets to Protecting Your Information and Ideas”
This month’s Associated Industries In-house Counsel’s Morning Briefing session features Daniel Wadkins, attorney with Lee and Hayes. The topic is “From Protecting Your Personal Assets to Protecting Your Information and Ideas: Contracts and Legal Solutions to Safeguard the Future of Your Business.” The presentation will include information on:
- Business entity formation - why choose one entity over another
- The importance of a written business agreement
- Employee and Independent Contractor Agreements
- A brief overview of intellectual property and why every business should be aware of IP
- Protecting your proprietary ideas and information, including confidentiality and non-compete agreements
Dan Wadkins is a graduate of Gonzaga University (Economics and Entrepreneurship) and Gonzaga School of Law. His law practice with Lee and Hayes in Spokane, Washington focuses on business entity formation, partnership agreements, contract law, corporate compliance, copyright and trademark registration and licensing, non-disclosure agreements, secured transactions, commercial real estate transactions, business financing, buy/sell agreements, trusts, and estate planning.
Sorry, this is a Members-Only event.
| DATE: |
Thursday June 10th |
| TIME: |
Coffee and light pastries served from 7:30am to 8:00am
Presentation will begin at 8:00am and end at approximately 10:00am |
| INVESTMENT: |
Associated Industries members only: $20 per person |
| LOCATION: |
Associated Industries, 1206 N. Lincoln Suite 200, Spokane WA 99201 |
| RSVP: |
Ben at 509.326.6885 or 800.328-6832 or benb@aiin.net. Seating is limited. |
   Most organizations that have invested in implementing Lean initiatives realize large gains, such as:
- Reducing cycle times by 50%
- Reducing inventory by 50%
- Improving on-time delivery by 90%
- Improving productivity by 75%
But over time, in many organizations, the improvements do not continue once the initial Kaizen events are over. In some cases, the improvements made do not even stay in place and things go back to how they were prior to the initial Lean effort. This seminar will discuss the importance of leadership and culture in driving continuous improvement throughout your organization to create a systematic and lasting approach to operational improvement. You will also have the opportunity to see where your company is today and where you need to go to be globally competitive.
All attendees will receive a FREE onsite operational assessment by an Impact Washington team member, who will visit your facility and evaluate your company’s current operational effectiveness (on-time delivery, resource utilization, etc.) and where your company is on your Lean journey within all facets of your operation.
Click Here for a Flyer.
| DATE: |
Thursday, July 8, 2010 |
| TIME: |
8:00am to 10:00am |
| INVESTMENT: |
$25 per person
(includes continental breakfast and FREE onsite operational assessment) |
| LOCATION: |
Associated Industries, 1206 N. Lincoln, Spokane WA 99201 |
| RSVP: |
Linda Adams at 425.438.1146 x107 or online at www.impactwashington.org
Or Clydene Franklin at 509.326.6885 or 800.720.4291 or cfranklin@aiin.net |
Watch your inbox and our website for more information on Associated Industries classes. New classes are added often. Or request a class and set your own date! Here a just a few of our hundreds of training options:
Introduction to Leadership: a two-part series:
Designed for lead workers and others who have some responsibility for work beyond their own production, but not the full range of authority of a supervisor.
PART ONE: Clarifies the Role of the lead-worker, managing change, effective communication, managing your time, and setting goals with your supervisor.
PART TWO: follows up on the goal setting skills, and provides the basics on motivating others, performance measurement and feedback, and provides models for solving problems and employee on-the-job training.
Investment: Members: $170/Non-Members $280
Coaching Skills to Solve Workplace Conflict:
Transforming the Process for Better Outcomes
The cost of employee conflicts and complaints skyrockets without a clear, pragmatic method to deal with them. Learn problem-solving processes to support your organization’s mission and values, how to diagnose common workplace conflicts and their causes, prepare supervisors and lead workers to avert conflict and apply coaching skills for early solutions. See the success that comes by solving problems as close to the source as possible.
Investment: $85 Members, $130 Non-Members
The presenter for these training opportunities is A.I. V P of Training and Development, Bill Sweigert, SPHR. For more information, contact Bill Sweigert 509.326.6885 or 800.720.4291 or bsweigert@aiin.net. New classes are added often. Watch your inbox and our website for more information on Associated Industries classes. |
Grandfather clause becomes newest health-reform debate
by Ted Blotsky, Senior Vice President,
Employee Benefit Services
The term pre-existing condition is common jargon in the world of healthcare plans. In the early stages of this new health-reform era, however, it’s the term pre-existing health plan that quickly is becoming prevalent.
Under the new law, existing health plans—also referred to as grandfathered health plans—don’t have to meet a number of the requirements. One such requirement goes into effect in September 2010, and prohibits health plans from charging co-payments and other cost sharing for certain preventative health services, such as immunizations and cancer screenings.
READ MORE |
Income Tax would hurt Washington entrepreneurs
By Don C. Brunell, President
Association of Washington Business
Each year, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) publishes a list of the best to worst state tax systems for entrepreneurship and small business.
It pulls together 16 different tax measures and combines those into one tax score that compares tax burdens in the 50 states and District of Columbia. Among the taxes included are income, capital gains, property, death/inheritance, unemployment and various consumption-based taxes, including state gas and diesel taxes.
The overriding advantage for the states with the best tax ratings is they have no income tax. Since our state has no income tax, SBE ranks Washington as the fifth best tax system in the nation for 2010. On the other hand, neighboring California, Oregon and Idaho rank among the bottom 15, primarily due to the income taxes they impose upon their people and businesses.
That all could change if Initiative 1098 qualifies and is approved by Washington voters in November.
READ MORE |
Associated Industries does not endorse any political candidate or point of view. However, we do want to let you know when there are opportunities to speak with your elected officials and how to find out more about what’s going on in Olympia and beyond. As we receive information from our elected officials, we will make every effort to pass that information on to you.
SEN. CHRIS MARR (D) (6th Leg. District) Sen. Marr’s May 7th e-newsletter discusses the development of the North Spokane Corridor, a reminder about a new law limiting the use of cell phones while driving and a bit of an explanation about how he believes our economy affects the state budget. You can access his newsletter here.
REP. KEVIN PARKER (R) (6th Leg. District) In Representative Parker’s May 11, 2010 email update, he notes that due to election-year restrictions, that will be his last e-mail update until November. However, you can read more at his website here.
REP. TIMM ORMSBY (D) (3rd Leg. District) You can read Rep. Ormsby's latest newsletter here.
REP. JOHN DRISCOLL (D) (6th Leg. District) Representative Driscoll offers a newsletter you can sign up for here.
REP. JOE SCHMICK (R) (9th Leg. District) Representative Schmick, Assistant Minority Whip, says in his April 13th newsletter that the 30-day special session “has been a lost opportunity.” You can read his comments here.
It's our hope you will take the time to listen to and then communicate with the people that represent you, and give your attention to the issues that affect our region and our country. It's our privilege and our duty as citizens to share our ideas and voice our opinions on issues that are important to us. |
|
|
|
Follow us on Twitter
|
Read more about Associated Industries on Linkedin
|
Visit aiin.com
Associated Industries
1206 N. Lincoln, Suite 200
Spokane, WA 99201-2559
P: 509.326.6885,
Toll Free: 800.720.4291 |
|
|
This newsletter is powered by Forward Contacts. 509.624.9659