Monthly news & updates
February 2020
Partner News
Long partnership continues with new contract
We have enjoyed a 22 year partnership with UTA and WorldPay for check and credit card payment processing. The two vendors have provided outstanding service and pricing for the last two decades. Moreover, they have been strong advocatess for our affiliate and our members/customers.

We are pleased to announce that we have renewed our contract with them. The new agreement allows us to serve you wherever your company happens to operate; and has a number of provisions that will be beneficial to you and our entire association.

Thanks to UTA President Dean Middleton and Vice President Michael Williams for working hard to engineer an agreement that is a win-win for all parties.

If it's time for you to review what your company is doing in the payment processing arena, click below to drop us a note and we will connect you to our Best Partners at UTA and WorldPay.

Education
124th National Credit Congress
Advance registration rate ends Feb. 15
Join us in Las Vegas for the Big Show of the year coming June 14-17. Excellent education and great networking with credit colleagues from across the nation. Following our tradition, we kick off Congress with a Sunday night party that you won't want to miss. Early registration ends soon. Click below and we'll see you in Sin City.
Blue first place winner rosette or badge from pleated ribbon with central text to be awarded to the winner of a competition on a graduated grey background with copyspace
Scholarship Applications Due Feb. 15
If you're wanting to attend Credit Congress but need a little help, check out our Scholarship Program funded by the Business Credit Foundation. Read the guidelines and, if you qualify, submit an application before February 15th. Award recipients will receive a full registration valued at $899. Take advantage of this opportunity today.

For more information, click on the button belong.
Business News



Recession Readiness Checklist

Though it’s a hot topic for discussion, recession is not the most popular conversation starter when it comes to planning a strategy for your financial organization. From stress testing to alternative credit data assets, account management, fraud and collections, have you done all you can to check the boxes when the next economic correction takes place ?

Our partners at Experian offer this helpful checklist to help you prepare.

Can You Cancel? Coronavirus and Your Hotel Contract

Worldwide awareness of the new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has exploded along with the number of cases being confirmed. When a virus like this starts spreading rapidly -- and threatening corporate meetings and seminars -- what legal recourse do you have?

NorthStar Meetings Group share the following advise for how to handle meeting contracts in the case of major health alert.

Calendar Note Schedule Memo Manage Event Concept
New study finds that nearly 8% of Seattleites work remotely

A new study found the 7.7% of workers in Seattle closed in from home in 2019 ranking seventh nationally Seattle also saw a larger remote workforce than all California cities studied.

Read more from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Annual visitor arrivals to Hawaii exceed 10 million for the first time

Visitors to Hawaii went over the 10 million benchmark, but spending growth in 2019 didn’t keep up with the pace of arrivals growth, according to statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Read more from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Fairbanks senator proposes doubling gas tax, making electric-car owners pay more to fix roads

A Republican senator from Fairbanks has proposed doubling Alaska’s tax on diesel and gasoline to boost the amount of money available for transportation, but public testimony ran against the idea, with Alaskans citing the high cost of fuel here.

Alaska has the lowest gas tax in the nation, 8 cents per gallon. The proposal would double that to 16 cents per gallon.

US productivity up 1.7% in 2019, best gain in 9 years

U.S. productivity rebounded in the final three months of last year, helping to boost productivity growth for the year to the best showing in nearly a decade.

For the year, productivity increased 1.7%, up from 1.3% advances in both 2017 and 2018. It was the best annual showing since a 3.4% advance in 2010. Since 1947 productivity has averaged gains of 2.1%.


US jobs top estimates with 225,000 gain as wages accelerate

Payrolls increased by 225,000 according to a Labor Department data Friday that topped all estimates of economists. The jobless rate edged up to 3.6%, still near a half-century low, while average hourly earnings climbed 3.1% from a year earlier.


Boeing Suppliers see crunch

The challenges faced by America's largest exporter are causing worries in the Boeing supply chain. Companies that build parts for Boeing aircraft - especially the grounded 737 MAX - are reducing work forces and capacity. Reuters reports on the recent Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference:

Legislative News
Establishing Wage Liens
Help us take action!
SSB 6053 is a wage lien bill being considered that allows the employers to put a hold on assets to theoretically protect workers when their employer disappears, goes bankrupt, or never pays the wages owing. If fact, wage complaints are uncommon and this bill - if enacted - will alter the longstanding principle of the UCC's notion of superior lien status.

NACM joins with AWB and several other business organizations to oppose SSB 6053. Our view is and continues to be that existing Washington lien laws are effective and no change is warranted.

We urge our members to read the Bill Summary (click below) and contact your legislators to voice opposition for this bill.
Big businesses like Amazon support tax for King County, but questions remain
House Bill 2907 would allow King County to impose a payroll tax of 0.1% to 0.2% on compensation paid by businesses to employees making at least $150,000 a year, with exemptions for small businesses, government entities and some other companies. The money would be used to fund affordable housing, homeless services, behavioral health services and related public-safety services.

Read more from NACM member, The Seattle Times:


NOTE: NACM opposes HB 2907 because of the potential negative impact on member companies. We believe the income threshold is arbitrary and unreasonable given the cost of living in the Puget Sound area. Moreover, we question whether this new tax revenue will be effectively used for the purposes outlined.

To read more on the legislation, click on the box below. We encourage you to contact your legislator if this is detrimental to your company.
UHERO: Charting a new fiscal course for Hawaii
The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) takes a look at the question of what spending and revenue changes make “fiscal sense” for Hawaii’s state and county governments in the next three decades. Its recommendations suggest careful planning versus do nothing and trying to muddle through until some action becomes absolutely necessary.

No matter where you live, this essay offers a model that could be beneficial for government planning and spending everywhere. Click below for an interesting read: