If you have W-2 employees you are eligible for payroll tax credits of up to $19K per employee! Through the Employee Retention Credit program, you could receive tax credits of:

You can use them to offset your payroll tax payments or receive a (large) check from the IRS. See more here. Source: The Mewes Group

The speakers for June’s general session during Leadership Days are confirmed: (1) Bill Long, President & CEO of MEMA; (2) Todd Campau, Associate Director, IHS Markit; and (3) a panel discussion moderated by Michael Rukov (RepWorks Marketing) entitled: “How to Get My Business” --- panelists are: Ashlee Arnold of Arnold Oil; Dan Hanson, Jr. (Hanson Distributing Company) and Mike Mohler (The Automotive Parts Services Group). Watch for further details and contact programs@cawa.org for information.

Almost every time I get a new client and start to look at what the sales team is doing, I see the same patterns and mistakes over and over again. Many times there are a plethora of things to fix but what I’ve found is that if you can just focus on two key areas, a lot of other things align and allow you to significantly increase sales. So, instead of overwhelming them with everything they need to fix, I break it down to two steps and tell them to simply focus on these two areas. See here for more details. Source: John Chapin

The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Advanced Clean Trucks regulation requires certain entities to report information regarding their California facility locations, and how they and their contractors move freight and perform other services. Additionally the regulation requires large fleet owners to report certain information regarding heavy-duty vehicles (vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 8500 lbs) to CARB by April 1, 2021. See more details here. Source: CARB

What COVID-19 safety measures do employers need to have in place before bringing employees back to the worksite from remote work? See information here. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce

To stay apprised of issues impacting the automotive aftermarket, learn of local trainings and events coming to your area, in addition to the many benefits CAWA offers its members, see how you can get connected via website, newsletter, social media. See here for more details.

On March 19, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 95, which creates new Labor Code section 248.2 and mandates that employers provide employees with supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) for various COVID-related absences in addition to paid time off benefits employees receive by law or policy, e.g., non-COVID statutory paid sick leave or vacation. Additionally, SB 95 creates new Labor Code section 248.3, which mandates that providers of in-home supportive and/or waiver personal care services receive SPSL. The new statutes will apply retroactively to January 1, 2021, and are effective through September 30, 2021, though technically they do not begin until March 29, 2021 – 10 days after the governor signed SB 95. Learn More. Source: Littler

See the coalition’s letter which reads: “On behalf of the undersigned organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Arizonans working across multiple industry sectors, we thank you for your service and commitment to Arizona during this unprecedented time. Our organizations, too, are tirelessly working to safely serve our members, our customers, and Arizona communities. While many of our member businesses have continued to operate throughout this pandemic and respond directly to the COVID-19 crisis, this period has also brought extraordinary legal uncertainty. We thank Senator Leach for working with stakeholders since the onset of the pandemic to draft Senate Bill 1377, “which provides targeted liability protections for responsible actors”. To review the complete letter to Governor Ducey, see 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 May 31, 2021. For details, visit

https://www.cawa.org/Scholarships.