MLA LINE
Lumber Industry News Express
Mid-America Lumbermens Association
MLA LINE
Lumber Industry News Express
Vol. 5, No. 14 – July 3, 2006
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
The MLA Offices are closed July 3-4, and will reopen on July 5 at
8 a.m.
u.s., CANADA INK SOFTWOOD DEAL
On Saturday, July 1, The United States and Canada signed an agreement to end a long-standing trade dispute over softwood lumber. Final details were worked out while parties were attending the World Trade Organization talks in Geneva.
Canadian Trade Minister David Emerson and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab initialed the agreement in a late-evening ceremony. President Bush “is pleased that the United States and Canada today reached agreement on a final text that will conclude the long-standing dispute on softwood lumber trade,” the White House said in a statement. The office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the deal should go into force after September.
According to an Associated Press report, “The U.S. goal is to keep Canada’s share of the U.S. softwood lumber market from exceeding the current level of around 34 percent. However, the deal does not impose any specific cap. Instead, Canada agreed to impose taxes on its lumber exports to the United States if the price of lumber falls below a specified level.”
The agreement must be ratified by the Canadian Parliament, which resumes on September 18. No such ratification is required of the U.S. Congress.
The seven-year deal should take effect on October 1. The U.S. has agreed to return $4 billion of the estimated $5 billion in collected duties back to Canadian companies. Some of the remainder will go to a coalition of U.S. lumber firms.
Sources: Bloomberg.com, Associated Press, and Reuters, Inc.
“Each one reach one” membership campaign
The Mid-America Lumbermens Association (MLA) has announced a membership contest to run from July 1 to October 31, 2006. The MLA Board unanimously approved plans to reward current members who recruit new members for the Association. Complete details will be mailed to all current members in the next few days. The grand prize winner will be awarded a trip to Las Vegas – all expenses paid. Cash prizes also will be awarded to the second and third place winners. Watch your mail and get on board.
SECOND ANNUAL SAFETY AWARDS
Deadline
Extended to July
21
NLBMDA invites all dealers to apply for the second annual national safety awards. Two types of awards recognize dealers for their safety records and achievements during the past year. Please contact MLA to obtain applications.
The National
Achievement in
Safety Award
will be given to
all dealer
applicants that
meet a high
standard of
safety based on
specific
criteria.
Winners will
receive a
recognition
certificate,
acknowledgement
in national
industry
publications and
customized press
releases to
announce their
achievements to
local media.
The National
Industry Leader
in Safety Award
will be
presented to two
dealers at the
annual Industry
Summit: One with
fewer than 50
employees and
one with more
than 50
employees.
Winners will be
selected by an
awards committee
based on
specific safety
criteria and how
well the company
demonstrates
their
outstanding
leadership and
commitment to
safety by “going
above and
beyond” basic
safety
practices.
Winners will
also be profiled
in ProSales
magazine and
receive
customized press
releases for use
with local
media.
Eligibility for
both awards is
on a per
location basis
to allow
individual
lumberyards to
be recognized
for their
excellence in
safety.
The deadline for
applications has
been extended to
July 21, 2006.
SAVE THE DATE
MLA Fall Fling – November 2-3, 2006
Harrah’s North Kansas City Conference Center and Hotel
LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES
Existing-Home
Sales Ease In
May…
WASHINGTON (June
27, 2006) –
Sales of
existing homes
experienced a
minor decline in
May with home
prices rising
near normal
rates, according
to the National
Association of
Realtors®.
Total
existing-home
sales –
including
single-family,
townhomes,
condominiums and
co-ops – eased
1.2 percent to a
seasonally
adjusted annual
rate of 6.67
million units in
May from a pace
of 6.75 million
in April, and
were 6.6 percent
below the 7.14
million-unit
level in May
2005.
According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage was 6.60 percent in May, up from 6.51 percent in April; the rate was 5.72 percent in May 2005.
Source: National Association of Realtors®
Hope Lumber to be Sold - Rooney Holdings, Inc. announced today that it has reached an agreement to sell its Hope Lumber & Supply Co. subsidiary to Pro-Build Holdings. Hope operates 50 building materials assembly and distribution facilities across nine states in the Southeast and Southwest United States. Pro-Build is the nation's leading distributor of building materials to professional home builders.
The sale of Hope is scheduled to close at the end of July.
Source: PR Newswire, June 20, 2006
New Residential Construction Shows Slight Drop… According to the joint release of the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,932,000, 2.1 percent below the revised April rate of 1,973,000 and 8.5 percent below the revised May 2005 estimate of 2,111,000.
Privately owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,957,000, 3.8 percent below the May 2005 rate of 2,034,000.
Last Week in Washington… Democrats are stepping up efforts to raise the minimum wage and, this time around, they have support from enough Republicans to make a majority in favor – but not the super majority necessary to overcome procedural hurdles.
In the House, the Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the Labor Department appropriations bill to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 by Jan. 1, 2009. Speaker Dennis Hastert put off indefinitely a vote on the appropriations bill. House Democrats tried and failed to attach the minimum wage increase to the Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act.
In the Senate, Sen. Edward Kennedy offered an amendment to the Defense Department authorization bill to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 over two years. Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) sponsored an alternative with several small business tax breaks. The Senate rejected both proposals.
Source: National Retail Hardware Association, June 26, 2006
Amendment Takes Effect Aug. 1
The Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005 provides that it is unlawful to send unsolicited advertisements to any fax machine, including those at both businesses and residences, without the recipient’s prior express invitation or permission. However, under the amended rules, fax advertisements may be sent to recipients with whom the sender has an EBR (Established Business Relationship), as long as the fax number was provided voluntarily by the recipient. Specifically, a fax advertisement may be sent to an EBR customer if the sender also:
· Obtains the fax number directly from the recipient, through, for example, an application, contact information form, or membership renewal form; or
· Obtains the fax number from the recipient’s own directory, advertisement, or site on the Internet, unless the recipient has noted on such materials that it does not accept unsolicited advertisements at the fax number in question; or
· For directories and other sources of information compiled by third parties, the sender must take reasonable steps to verify that the recipient consented to have the number listed.
If the EBR existed before July 9, 2005, and the sender also possessed the fax number before July 9, 2005, the sender may send the fax advertisements without demonstrating how the number was obtained.
Fax advertisements sent with the recipient’s prior express permission must include an opt-out notice as described below.
Opt-out Notice Requirements
The rules require senders of permissible fax advertisements (those sent under an EBR or with the recipient’s prior express permission) to provide specified notice and contact information on the fax that allow recipients to “opt-out” of future faxes from the sender. The notice must:
· Be clear and conspicuous and on the first page of the advertisement;
· State that the recipient may make a request to the sender not to send any future faxes and that failure to comply with the request within 30 days is unlawful; and
· Include a telephone number, fax number, and cost-free mechanism (including a toll free telephone number, local number for local recipients, toll-free fax number, Web site address, or e-mail address) to opt-out of faxes. These numbers and cost-free mechanism must permit consumers to make opt-out requests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Complete information is available at the government web site: www.fcc.gov.
Your business may be only as safe as your drivers…
A serious auto accident can be devastating to your business, especially if your driver is found liable in a lawsuit. It’s even worse if you find out too late that your employee had a history of traffic violations. Federated Insurance offers a driver insurability service to its clients that can help qualify a driver before making a hiring decision. Checking prospective employees’ motor vehicle records and following up with periodic checks later may help you avoid a costly lawsuit down the road. Businesses insured with Federated may call 1-800-335-4MVR (4687) for this service.
Your Federated marketing representative can provide more information and material, which will help you set up a driver insurability program. Or, you may call 1-800-838-1760 for more information.
This article provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association’s recommended insurer.
MLA is proud to endorse….
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Our heroes are those... who... act above and beyond the call of duty and in so doing give definition to patriotism and elevate all of us.... America is the land of the free because we are the home of the brave.”
– David Mahoney
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.