Brian Cruickshank of Schwartz Advisors has been appointed to CAWA’s Board of Directors. During the appointment process, Michael Rukov, Chair of the Board of Directors, commented: “I am excited to announce that Brian Cruickshank with Schwartz Advisors is joining the CAWA Board of Directors. I have personally known Brian for many years and his industry accolades are nothing but impressive. I am excited to add such an amazing industry leader to our Board which adds even more validity to the importance of CAWA. Brian withstood my participation in Leadership 2.0, Leadership 3.0 in China and Motor Vehicle Executive MBA at Northwood – and there is nothing he cannot help us achieve,” continued Rukov. See the complete press release here.

As a warehouse operator, your day is often spent trying to ensure dozens of different needs are met, from unloading trucks to managing warehouse staff to cataloging inventory. These are important duties, for sure, but there is another you should add to the list of daily to-dos — tracking vehicle traffic to and from your warehouse. Why, you ask? Well, if you operate a warehouse in Southern California, and specifically in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, or Riverside Counties, the number of vehicles that visit your facility on a daily basis could end up costing you money. See more here. Source: ACTnews

This is a game changer for everyone! Exporters should no longer have their cargo arbitrarily refused under the new required rulemaking. Importers and Exporters alike will be happy to see that demurrage and detention rules have changed in favor of the cargo owner; “Shift burden of proof regarding the reasonableness of “detention or demurrage” charges from the invoiced party to the ocean carrier.” This, along with recent rulings out of the Federal Maritime Commissions’ Bureau of Enforcement in favor of cargo owners, have put the carriers and terminals on notice that cargo owners must be treated fairly going forward. It will be interesting to see a timeline on how quickly this transition of responsibility will take place with the carriers and terminals around the nation. The President is expected to sign the bill, as well. For more information see here and contact CAWA member Steve Hughes of HCS International at 310.872.6844 or steve@hcsinternational.net.

2022 is off to a great start! I know we are not completely out of the darkness known as "COVID-19". However, I believe we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, especially when it comes to the struggling supply chain and the shortage of employees that we all have been facing. Industry week in Las Vegas will be here sooner than we think and with that comes the Annual CAWA scholarship fund raiser auction and dinner. With that being said, we are already working on the plans for this, and I am reaching out to you (supplier’s, WD’s and mentors) for donations to help support the 2022 CAWA Scholarship Fund. We, as mentors, should always be looking for ways to help make the younger generation feel welcome into our industry. They will be the life blood of our community, as they will soon be the ones running aftermarket companies, fixing our vehicles (both gas and electric), as well as designing the new vehicles. One of the best ways to help support them, is to offer scholarships like the CAWA has done for the last several years. See the complete request for contributions (here) and form (here).

~Ward Myers, Advance Auto Parts

Share your support for Right to Repair throughout the month of July and what it means to you on social using the hashtag #righttorepair. We’ve created a media kit with downloadable and editable graphics for eye-catching communications.

Be an ambassador within your organization: forward this email to your supervisor. Ask your HR department to send this company-wide and use resources from our media kit to educate your company and encourage your employees to also take 30 minutes to send a pre-populated letter to their local legislator via our Action Center.

Additional resources, including full briefs on Right to Repair can be found on our website for both the state and national levels.

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to a controversial California law that makes it easier for employees to sue their employers for labor law violations, but the implications of the ruling aren’t as broad as some employers may have hoped.

The Supreme Court in June issued a ruling in a lawsuit dealing with the Private Attorneys General Act, and how it applies to employees who have signed employment contracts that include mandatory arbitration agreements and waived their right to bring class-action suits against their employer.

The Supreme Court ruling overrides a previous California Supreme Court ruling, which found that mandatory arbitration agreements between employers and employees did not apply to PAGA, and employees could still file PAGA suits even if they had agreed to settle disputes in arbitration as part of an employment contract. That means that California employers are now able to force individual employees into arbitration to settle labor rights claims, and don’t have to go through the court process, if that was part of their employment contract to begin with.

See more here. Source: Sacramento Business Journal

What is happening with Cal/OSHA’s emergency temporary standard for COVID-19? See standards here.

The oftentimes forgotten individuals in educating and training students in preparation for automotive careers is the high school automotive teacher. Whether it’s their use of personal funds to keep their programs going, automotive product for the classroom, or their need for certification to keep their instructor and program status, CAWA wants to assist them in achieving success. Called the Motorcar Parts of America - Selwyn Joffe Award, the application deadline is July 15, 2022.

For details visit https://www.cawa.org/Scholarships.

In most instances you may require medical documentation to substantiate the need for a leave of absence as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as California’s related law, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Unfortunately, neither law specifies a time limit for the employee to provide the medical documentation.

See complete article here. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce

Good employees are hard to find and even harder to keep. Providing quality health insurance is good for employee retention, morale and it’s the right thing to do. Now you can do that at an even better cost. CAWA’s Association Health Plans are less expensive and offer richer health benefits than a traditional Small Group health plan. If you think your insurance premium costs are high or that you don’t have access to the right doctors, it’s time to explore other options. See more here and call 877.737.0184 for details.

See the enclosed informational piece (here) from our California based partner, Armstrong & Associates. Contact Glen Dailey at 800.632.2777 or gdailey@Armstrongprofessional.com.