Government
Affairs Updates
The House
of Representatives passed the Small Business Financing and Investment Act
last week, as part of the effort to unfreeze credit markets for small businesses
by revising and adding to various Small Business Administration (SBA) lending
programs. The bill passed by a strong bipartisan vote of 389-32. Hopefully,
it will have similar success in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Printing Industries of America
continues to lobby for extended tax relief to further help members. The tax
relief was included in the economic stimulus law passed earlier this year,
and applied to small companies with annual revenues of $15 million or less.
It offered a temporary extension of the net operating loss (NOL) carryback
period to five years, and allowed small companies to file an amended tax
return to get an expedited tax refund by allowing current NOLs to offset
federal income taxes paid in very recent profitable years.
However,
due to the low revenue cap, many printing companies were not able to benefit
from this relief. As of last week there was a tentative
deal that would add five-year NOL carryback relief provisions.
Stay tuned
for developments on these two hot issues!
Expect
Fines for UAA
Mail
The U.S. Postal Service is cracking down
on UAA (Undeliverable As Addressed) mail. Effective January 2010, the agency
will calculate the percentage of a Standard Mail mailing that isn’t
compliant with its deliverable program, then assess
the mailer a per piece penalty of seven cents on undeliverable mail in excess
of a thirty percent threshold. Mailers must run their lists against
the Postal Service’s
National Change of Address, or similar, program up to three months prior
to the actual mailing but we recommend that this accuracy check occur as
soon as possible prior to the mailing. A reason: a substantial portion of
the sixteen percent of the U.S. population that changes residences each year
does so without informing the Postal Service. The effort is part of the organization’s
Move Update program, which is intended to reduce the amount of UAA.
Working
to Reduce
FSC Certification Costs
Printing Industries of America
and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) are working to reduce costs
for group certification audits. The costs for certification audits has
generated resentment within the industry. The current
Group Certification criteria included an employee cap and did not allow
many printing companies to participate. The proposed change by FSC would
eliminate the employee cap and substitute a sales cap of $5,000,000. Printing
Industries of America has requested that FSC eliminate all caps for the
printing industry, allow the square root of the number of printers in the
group to be audited each year, and have the local Affiliate act as the
Group Manager; all towards the goal of allowing the majority of our members
to participate in the Group Certification process. Watch your PGAMA newsletters
for more details on this evolving issue.
New
EEOC Law & Poster
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination
Act of 2008 (GINA) takes effect
Nov. 21st. The law applies to companies with 15 or more employees,
and prohibits discrimination based on genetic information.
Employers are required to post notices describing the Federal
laws prohibiting job discrimination based on race, color,
sex, national origin, religion, age, equal pay, disability
and genetic information. To comply with the law, employers
can:
- Print the
supplement and post it alongside EEOC’s
September 2002 “EEO is the Law” poster or OFCCP’s
August 2008 “EEO is the Law” poster.
- Print and post the new
version of the “EEO
is the Law” poster
- Or order
a new poster through the EEOC website (Order form
at the bottom of the page.) Please note that the EEOC poster
is on backorder and will be shipped when the poster becomes
available in the near future.
Execs
Prefer Printed Publications
A major survey of business
users of print publications showed that a majority admit
they spend less time time reading an electronic
version of a publication than they do reading a printed
version. When asked whether they would return to the electronic
version to read later, only a small group said they would.
Of special interest was the fact that in firms of less
than 500 employees, print was the medium of choice--small
business folks don't have the time to stare at the screen.
Membership
Anniversaries
Congratulations to the following companies
marking major anniversaries as Association members this month:
55 YEARS!!!
Corporate Press
25 Years
Media Dimensions
20 Years
Printing by Yazge
United Book Press
15 Years
Uptown Press
Wells Fargo Insurance
Members
in the News
MOSAIC of
Cheverly, Maryland has received a Best of the Best designation
in the 2009 Best Workplace in the Americas competition. The
firm was recognized for their exemplary human resources
practices. This is the seventh year in a row for MOSAIC to
receive this distinction! Congratulations to all.
Welcome to new member Global
Telecom (GTB), a full service provider for local
phone, long distance and internet service, along with other
telecom necessities such as web conferencing, telephone systems
and remote data backup. GTB is the oldest local phone company
in Maryland with savings up to 50% off of Verizon or any
competitor’s
phone service. For more information, contact Elisa
Lichtenstein,
410.581.4833 x 154.
PGAMA
hosted another successful Cocktails & Connections on
Tuesday, as more than 80 members turned out for the free
happy hour in Hyattsville. A hand-shaking, connection-making
good time was had by all. Many thanks to sponsors Coleman One and Hewlett-Packard for
their generous support of this gathering. Look for more pictures
on www.pgama.com. (Below,
Brian Owens of HP (left) and Brian Leonard of Coleman One
(right) flank guests at the event.)
Upcoming Events
| November 8-10 |
Special Event: 2009
Converge Conference, at
the spectacular new Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando.
This event is a must-attend for any service provider
looking to grow and prosper in these challenged economic
times of the new information age. Learn more about
the conference, resort and transportation deals, plus
register to attend at http://converge.printing.org/Default.aspx. |
| November 10 |
Webinar: How and Why
to Blog,
Noon-1:00pm. This is the second of five broadcasts
(Tuesdays, Nov 3-Dec 1) in the Social Media Webinar
series, and focuses on blogging. Learn how to set
up, maintain, and use this incredibly easy method
to release timely information to an audience of
readers already interested in what you and your
organization offer. Cost is $55 per webinar per
connection. Register
online at http://www.pine.org/Education/webinar_social_series.html#principles |
| November 11 |
Dinner Meeting:
Is Print Dead? No
Way! 5:30-8:30pm
at the Baltimore Museum of Industry (1415 Key Highway
in Baltimore.) Join speaker Jim Crowley and members
of the Production Club of Baltimore for a discussion
on why print is alive and well despite today's technology.
Cost is $20 payable by cash or check at the door. |
| November 17 |
Webinar: What You Need
to Know About Twitter,
Noon-1:00pm. This is the third of five broadcasts
(Tuesdays, Nov 3-Dec 1) in the Social Media Webinar
series, and focuses on how to stand out in the 'Twitterverse'
by generating hot topics of discussion. Cost is
$55 per webinar per connection. Register online
at http://www.pine.org/Education/webinar_social_series.html#principles |
| November 18 |
Member Seminar & Vendor
Expo: Its OK to Print, 9:00am-4:00pm
at PGAMA (9685 Gerwig Lane, Columbia, MD 21046).
Attend
this seminar and learn how to affordably promote
and expand your sustainable efforts. Attendees
will walk away better prepared to market their “green” processes
and practices—including getting listed on
the Maryland Green Registry—and informed
about other fast, easy, and budget-conscious things
that can be done to protect the planet AND boost
a bottom line. Cost is $30 per person and includes
lunch. Call PGAMA to register, 410-319-0900 or
sign up online at www.pgama.com. |
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