MLA LINE
Lumber Industry News Express
Vol. 7, No. 24 – November 24, 2008
In this issue:
NLBMDA Calls on Congress to Pass Housing Stimulus Measures
We Saw Who You Voted For on Nov. 4
Economy, Slower Payment Top List of Credit Professional Concerns
How Much of a Threat are Unions?
Happy Thanksgiving!
MLA Offices Closed –
The Association offices
will be closed November 27-28 in observance of
Thanksgiving.
NLBMDA Calls on Congress to Pass
Housing Stimulus Measures
The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) today called on Congress to enact a comprehensive housing stimulus plan before the end of the year which would reduce existing inventory, help stabilize home prices and increase demand to assist troubled homeowners who need to sell their homes.
Specifically, NLBMDA is calling on Congress to enhance and extend the Home Buyer Tax Credit for primary residences purchased between April 2008 and December 2009, to up to 10% of the home price up to a maximum of $22,000, depending on geography. In addition, buyers should have access to discounted 30-year fixed-rate mortgage financing that would encourage eligible home buyers to enter the market. History proves that tax credits for home buyers work to bolster the economy.
“In 1975, Congress passed a short-term home buyer tax credit for all new homes, coupled with subsidized mortgage rates. This stimulus jump-started the depressed housing market then and the effects continued long after the measure expired,” said NLBMDA President and CEO Michael O’Brien. “We believe Congress must once again take bold action to restore consumer confidence in the market.”
Home prices and property values continue to decline across the country, causing a dramatic near stand-still in home purchases. Almost 85,000 jobs have been lost in the past two months in the construction industry alone, mostly in specialty trades related to home building. NLBMDA believes that this housing stimulus proposal will halt this decline in industry employment and create much needed jobs.
Further, NLBMDA is also urging Congress to help jumpstart the economy by extending bonus depreciation and increased Section 179 expensing provisions for at least one year, to further promote investment during the current economic downturn. The Economic Stimulus Act signed into law in February temporarily created a 50 percent depreciation bonus and increased the amount that small businesses can expense under Section 179 to $250,000, but those provisions are due to expire at the end of 2008. Additionally, NLBMDA is asking Congress to extend net operating loss (NOL) carryback provisions from two years to five to allow building material dealers to discount current losses against past profits.
“Taken together these proposals will go a long way toward reviving the housing economy, which is key to overcoming our current economic crisis. We are calling on all our members to contact their members of Congress to urge quick action,” said O’Brien.
We Saw
Who You Voted for on Nov. 4th...
Just
kidding. Don't worry – your ballot was secret and your vote was private.
But imagine if there was no secret ballot. What would it be like if you
had to cast your vote with everybody looking?
Not just strangers – but your boss and your co-workers?
Sound un-democratic?
That's because it is. Unfortunately, labor unions and liberals in
Congress are teaming up to push a bill that would kill the secret ballot
in union organizing elections.
It's shaping up to look like this will be one of the first bills
introduced when Congress reconvenes in January.
With no secret ballot, small businesses could find themselves overrun by
union organizers before they even knew a campaign was underway.
The business grassroots network is more important than ever. With
support of the bill approaching sixty in the Senate, people on the
ground will be the last defense against union intimidation and
coercion.
MLA has teamed up with the Coalition for a
Democratic Workplace (CDW) to help fight for the secret ballot. For more
information, go to
www.myprivateballot.com
Source: U.S. Chamber of
Commerce Grassroots Bulletin, November 20, 2008 and Coalition for a
Democratic Workplace
January 8-9 –
Missouri State Committee Meeting – Holiday Inn Select, Columbia, Mo.
January 15-16 –
Kansas Winter Meeting – Eldridge Hotel, Lawrence, Kan.
March 3-4 – Blueprint
Reading & Material Take-Off Seminar – Kansas City, Mo.
April 30-May 1 – MLA
Swing-into-Spring Event – Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
June 13 – Kansas
Sunflower Shootout, Salina, Kan.
Nov. 5-6 – MLA Fall
Fling – Kansas City, Mo.
Call the MLA Office – 800-747-6529 – for
additional information or email:
mail@themla.com
LUMBER NEWS –
QUICK GLIMPSES
Who is Your New Competition? Just when you thought you had enough of competitors looking for your best people, along comes a new monster competitor: The U.S. government. Yes, they are looking for people in the private sector, and can offer them some benefits that you may not be able to give. The government is going to be so strapped in the future as the boomers retire (remember, they have great retirement benefits, so the recession does not effect them), that they are resorting to the private sector to fill top level jobs. The great medical benefits, paid leave, paid holidays, retirement plans, and job security has made it a no-brainer for many managers who have left their firms and taken jobs with the Fed.
Source: Bob Losyk, MEd., M.B.A.,
C.S.P. is a Certified Speaking Professional, master trainer, author, and
President & CEO of Innovative Training Solutions, a Greensboro, NC
consulting firm. For more
information on Bob’s keynotes, seminars, best practices facilitation, panel
discussion leader, and products, please visit his websites at
www.boblosyk.com and
www.getagriponstress.com or
call 1-800-995-0344.
Economy, Slower Payment Top List of Credit Professional Concerns… NACM's October Survey, which asked "Looking forward to 2009, as a credit professional, what are your biggest concerns?," showed that the struggling global economic situation is weighing heavily on the minds of credit professionals as 2008 winds down, with a whopping 88.1% of respondents listing "the state and future of the economy" as one of their three foremost concerns. In the survey, participants were asked to choose their top three concerns from a list of 10 options that included technology issues, job security and several other diverse concerns. Coming in at second place with 75.4% was "slower payment due to tightened credit," while other concerns receiving a significant amount of votes included "health and diversity of your customer base" (30.5%), "pressure to meet upper management expectations" (25.2%) and "job security or finding and keeping qualified staff" (22.8%).
Source:
Jacob Barron, NACM staff writer, NACM e-News Weekly Update, November 11,
2008
How Much of a Threat Are Unions?
ProSales’ New Survey Can Help You Find Out…
Barack Obama's election has ignited fear among LBM executives that the next
Congress will make it easier for unions to organize workplaces. But just how
many union shops are there at America's lumberyards today? At the same time,
it's getting harder to sort through the anecdotal evidence on how dealers
are doing financially this year. What’s the truth? And what are dealers’
expectations for 2009?
To
help answer these questions, ProSales is conducting an online survey. The
survey takes five minutes to complete, individual results will be kept
confidential, and no identifying info will be requested unless you want to
get survey-takers' written comments. (Note: NLBMDA also is conducting a
survey involving unions, among other issues, but those results are for
internal use and won’t be made public. Ours will.)
[http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DUPXOTjn9mYMGEaww1dVGg_3d_3d]
Take the Survey
Source: Craig Webb, Editor, ProSales,
November 13, 2008
Not All News Is Bad News…
While many metro markets that were inundated with sub-prime loans and
over-building by national homebuilders, many markets around the U.S. and
Canada are doing well, some even very well. The more rural the market, the
better the conditions for housing.
Just remember...there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime,
we must all tighten our belts, make prudent business decisions and make the
best of what our markets have to offer.
The world is not coming to an end.
Source: Bill Lee, Bill Lee’s Management Tips
Newsletter, November 13, 2008.
www.billleeonline.com
Canada to Turn to China for Help?
After Russian President Vladimir
Putin announced last week that the expected 80% tax on exported logs would
be delayed, Canadian lumber makers turned their eyes to China. B.C Forest
Minister Pat Bell is optimistic that China could increase their import of BC
lumber from 2% to 25% within four years, and the key, he says, is education.
Source: LBM Daily, November 17,
2008
Are
You Getting the Message?
Texting + Driving = Danger
Americans love the convenience and sense of security cell phones give us. The number of cell phones is growing and they’re being used in more ways than just talking—such as text messaging, picture messaging, and Internet surfing.
Has this useful device become a danger in the hands of inconsiderate users and distracted drivers?
BION – Believe it or not
Recent studies and news stories
seem to confirm that driving and texting is a very dangerous combination.
-
According to a study sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “…driving while text messaging was associated with a 400 percent increase in the amount of time spent looking away from the road, relative to driving without text messaging.”[1]
-
A new study conducted in Great Britain goes even farther. It shows that sending messages from cell phones while driving is more dangerous than climbing behind the wheel at the legal alcohol limit (.08% blood alcohol content).[2] According to the report, texting drivers are distracted in three ways:
-
Mental workload – Composing text takes the mind off the road
-
Control: Using the phone's keypad means only one hand is on the wheel
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Visual attention: Eyes are on the phone not on the road ahead
When we add a human element to the
statistics, the evidence can be sobering. The number of fatal auto accidents
stemming from texting while driving is on the rise, especially among young
drivers. In
AWTTW – A word to the wise
The California train accident should not have happened – but it did. It’s an example of when multitasking should not be an option because only one task – safe driving – really matters.
Make your employees aware of the dangers of texting while driving, whether they’re on the job or on their personal time. We should all think twice before putting our cellular phones into text mode when we’re behind the wheel.
Some large corporations have established bans on use of cell phones while driving on company business – both as a safety precaution for their employees and to avoid possible liability. We urge you to consider this or other safety measures to encourage sensible use of cell phones in vehicles.
Safety tips for cell phone use in
vehicles
§ Don’t hunt for a ringing phone that’s out of reach.
§ Pull over and stop to carry on a conversation.
§ If you must talk, keep it short.
§ Have a passenger take the call and relay the high points.
§ Don’t address emotional or distressing issues while driving.
§ Let calls go to voice mail instead of answering.
§ Don’t text and drive.
Federated offers a safety program called “Distracted Driving—At What Cost?” that emphasizes the many ways business owners and their drivers can avoid the pitfalls of distracted driving. The program includes a packet of materials and a video that’s sure to make an impression. Contact your local Federated representative for more information.
EOM – End of Message
Wireless technology can be great. Benefits include calling for help in an accident, scheduling appointments, and getting directions. But with all the distractions facing drivers – both inside and outside the vehicle – don’t add to the situation by trying to send a text message while driving.
[1]
“Driver Distraction: A Review of the Current State-of-Knowledge,”
Department of Transportation, NHTSA, DOT-HS-810-704 April 2008
[2]
“The Effect of Text Messaging on Driver Behaviour” by N. Reed & R.
Robbins, Transport Research Laboratory, for
the
RAC Foundation , September 18, 2008.
This article provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association’s recommended insurer.
MLA is proud to endorse….
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.” –
Bertha Calloway
We're here to help. Until next time....
MLA Staff
816-561-5323
800-747-6529
The opinions, views, and interpretations expressed in this publication do not constitute legal advice. Questions and concerns regarding your company’s compliance with Federal or State regulations should be directed to the appropriate Federal or State agency.