Are You Aware of PAGA - If Not You Should Be!

Enacted in 2004, the Private Attorney’s General Act (PAGA) allows employees to sue employers for violating the state’s Labor Code. Such civil lawsuits have been filed over timeliness of lunch breaks or not getting paid on time. This has caused tremendous financial burden on businesses across all sectors of the economy and has created a boutique industry for consumer attorneys to exploit. This year, California Chamber of Commerce is leading an effort to reform PAGA by placing an initiative on the November 2024 ballot. However, given the urgent need for reform, a PAGA deal could be brokered in the Legislature before the election. CAWA is following the developments with PAGA. A new report (available here) explains the Act and know, too, that our California based legislative advocate, Ryan Pierini, can answer any questions you may have regarding this Act. Ryan can be reached at rpierini@mwcllc.com or 916.995.5323.

California’s SB 903 – CAWA in Coalition Opposes this Bill

This legislation stifles innovation, negatively impacts key sectors of the economy including aerospace, semiconductors, clean energy, electronics, medical, industrial processes. A coalition of California’s leading job creators, innovators, and manufacturers representing virtually every aspect of the state’s economy is opposed to SB 903, legislation that would create a sweeping and complex new regulatory program at the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to regulate all commercial and consumer products that may contain, as well as any industrial manufacturing processes that may use, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances. The coalition has identified numerous problems regarding the scope of the bill, as well as implementation and enforcement issues that render the proposed approach unworkable. Their most significant concerns are detailed in the attached letter. See here.

Doctor’s Note Not Always Automatic Excuse for Absences

My employee has used up all her protected sick leave, but still calls out sick regularly and always returns with a doctor’s note. Can we discipline her for missing too much work, or does the fact that she brings in a doctor’s note mean we can’t do anything? See more discussion here. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce

How to Standout from Other Salespeople

In sales you simply must stand out from other salespeople, not just the ones in your industry, but ALL the salespeople that are calling on your prospects and customers, as they are also competing for their time, attention, and money. Here are several ways to be unique in sales. Source: John Chapin

Predii is Holding an AI Thought Leadership Event: "How AI Connects the Dots Across the Parts and Service Data Ecosystem"

Here are some details regarding the event:

Date: Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, 12:45pm-4:30pm PT

Location: Cooley LLP, 3175 Hanover St, Palo Alto, CA 94304

The agenda will include:

• Emergence and Evolution of Generative AI: Explore major technical developments and challenges faced in the last 6-12 months, diving into precision, hallucinations, training costs, model biases, and more.
• AI Solutions in Enterprise Environments: Uncover successful business models, opportunities, and challenges, particularly in complex industries like transportation. Discuss the evolving requirements in management strategies, legal aspects, and hiring.
• Leveraging Generative AI in Automotive Parts and Service: Identify pain points where AI can make a difference, sketching out a future roadmap, and understanding key drivers and stakeholders in the industry.

If you are interested in hearing more about attending the event, contact Mark Seng at 248.917.7248 or mark@predii.com. Attendance is limited.

The Motorcar Parts of America – Selwyn Joffe Scholarship Award Program - Awards for Automotive High School Teachers

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 or their need for certification to keep their instructor and program status, CAWA wants to assist them in achieving success.

The Association has established a scholarship program to help these teachers in several ways, including financially. CAWA represents manufacturers, distributors and retailers that could supply these high school automotive teachers with products, tools and other resources for classroom use to assist them in providing relevant, up to date and quality education and training for their students. Access to industry training being conducted by CAWA members could be made available to the automotive high school teachers for their own knowledge and development.

Teachers that are interested in applying for a scholarship should complete an application for consideration, found here (PDF) or fill out the online form here or request an application from programs@cawa.org. NEXT DEADLINE: May 31, 2024

Deadline Is Here - CAWA Memorial Scholarship Awards for Students

This scholarship program supports educational opportunities for you, your family, employees and those interested in a career in the auto care industry. Applying is easy! The online application process allows students interested in auto care industry careers to submit one application each year online at www.automotivescholarships.com and receive consideration for several scholarships. Preference will be given to those seeking a college level, vocational or technical program pursuing a degree, accreditation or certificate in the auto care industry. A candidate’s permanent residence must be located in the states of California, Nevada or Arizona. Applications are accepted through March 31 of each year. Scholarships will be awarded in June of each year. The applicant with the highest ranking each year will receive the Mort Schwartz Scholarship Award. DEADLINE: March 31, 2024. APPLY HERE!