We were fortunate to have several industry experts speak on current automotive trends impacting the aftermarket. Among those were Bill Hanvey, President & CEO, Auto Care Association; Bill Thompson, President, IMR, Inc.; Daniel J. Laury, CEO, Udelv, Inc. and Joel Ayres, Executive Director, Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation. We hope you enjoy the valuable information and consider joining us June 24-25, 2021 for our next Educational Forum and Leadership Meeting to be held in San Diego. Click on link for recordings: https://youtu.be/Dss1a9gGL20

CAWA thanks all the sponsors for the Leadership Meeting in June. Their support is very much appreciated!

For information on the June Leadership Meeting, contact programs@cawa.org.

UACJ Automotive Whitehall Industries, a leading supplier of precision extruded aluminum automotive components and assemblies, will take over the former Walgreen’s distribution center in Flagstaff for a new plant that will manufacture parts for electric vehicles. The expansion of the company, based in Ludington, MI, is anticipated to bring 120 high-paying jobs to the region over the next year and 350 within 5 years, said Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona President & CEO Gail Jackson. Read more here. Source: Our Friends at the Arizona Commerce Authority

WHAT IS THE ERTC? A tax credit of $5,000 to $7,000 per employee. ERTC stands for Employee Retention Tax Credit. It’s a tax credit that is part of the CARES act, and was extended as part of the year end Coronavirus Omnibus Spending Act. DO I QUALIFY FOR THE TAX CREDIT? CAN I GET THE ERTC AND THE PPP? HOW DO I CALCULATE THE EMPLOYEE RETENTION CREDIT? There are a lot of rules that determine whether or not you qualify, and what type of compensation qualifies for the credit. See here for details. Source: The Mewes Group

On March 4, 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) updated its COVID-19 guidance, addressing several vaccination-related questions. The updated guidance replaces the version last updated on July 24, 2020. The DFEH answers one of employers’ biggest questions — can they require employees to get vaccinated? See guidance here. Recall, as a CAWA member you can receive up to ½ hour per month of FREE legal consultation for issues such as what is presented here. See www.cawa.org for the attorney in your state. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce

Throughout the pandemic, businesses across the board have been doubling down their efforts to get closer to customers to ringfence sales and safeguard relationships for the longer term. Once upon a time, personalized sales and marketing was solely the preserve of the biggest companies with sizeable marketing budgets to match. However, in the wake of the pandemic, businesses need to connect with customers and prospects like never before and advances in technology are making it easier to adopt a tailor-made approach. See more details here. Source: sales-i

A bill to protect Arizona businesses, schools, healthcare providers, government agencies, and others from frivolous COVID-19 lawsuits took another step forward when the state House Judiciary Committee approved the measure. The legislation, Senate Bill 1377, is needed to ensure that responsible businesses and employees, particularly those on the frontlines of the pandemic, are not targets of meritless lawsuits, said the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Vince Leach, R-Saddlebrooke, who testified at the hearing. See more by clicking here. Source: Our Coalition Partners at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce

My employee has used her Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)/California Family Rights Act (CFRA) time last year to care for her mother. Now she wants to take leave to care for her grandchild. Are we required to provide more time to her? See the answer here. Recall, as a CAWA member you can receive up to ½ hour per month of FREE legal consultation for issues such as what is presented here. See www.cawa.org for the attorney in your state. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce

CAWA has a new association health plan designed to offer health insurance from Prominence Health that is quality, comprehensive health benefits and competitive pricing to assist our members in lowering their health insurance premium costs. Any automotive related business in Nevada can participate in CAWA’s association health plans. Contact programs@cawa.org. Another member benefit.

CAWA Arizona Health Trust provides high quality, affordable employee benefits programs to employers in the automotive industry, headquartered in Arizona.

As a member of CAWA, groups may choose from several medical plan options underwritten by BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona. Ancillary benefits include mandatory $15K Life/AD&D through The Standard Insurance Company, dental coverage through BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona and vision coverage through VSP.

Participating groups must have a minimum of 2 employees enrolled in the plan. Another member benefit.

Phone: 206-623-2430

CAWA Quotes: cawaquotes@dimarinc.com

General Information: cawa@dimarinc.com

All Employee Benefit plan companies must be dues-paying members of CAWA. Please view and complete the CAWA Membership Application.

Depending on a job seeker’s needs, Maricopa County may cover part or all the cost of the first year of an apprenticeship. There are a few ways a person can get an apprenticeship through Maricopa County’s RA program including:

Look for jobs and services through

For employers interested in offering apprenticeships through the county’s program they can explore opportunities at: Employer Apprenticeships.

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.

For federal income tax purposes, CAWA dues may be deductible as a business expense but not as a charitable contribution. CAWA estimates that 41% of your dues for 2020 are not deductible as a business expense because they are attributable to lobbying as in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code Section 6033. Contributions to the Political Action Fund are not deductible as a charitable contribution or as a business expense for federal income tax purposes. For more information, consult with your accountant or tax attorney.