Thursday, June 29, 2023
We are pressing pause on our weekly 5 Things email as we move into our second year as the Greater Kitsap Chamber.
Our Community Connections will continue each week but will move to Wednesdays. Stay tuned to your email inbox for all the information you and your business need for all things
happening in Greater Kitsap!
One

Chamber Weekly Survey
Your Greater Kitsap Chamber wants to know:
With the recent announcement further delaying the full restoration of Bremerton-Seattle ferry service to 2024, will your business be negatively impacted?
Please select the best answer for your business.
Yes
No
Doesn't impact my business
Would you like to add your name or business to a letter to WA State Ferries in response to the further delay of Bremerton service? Let us know!
*Survey questions are run for at least 2 weeks to capture all of our readers.
The Greater Kitsap Chamber is committed to learning how best
to serve our business membership and community. Your participation
in poll questions like these help us to work better for you!
Two
WA Leads with Most Expensive Gas in the Nation

Washington hit a painful milestone last week, surpassing California to have the highest gas prices in the nation for the first time in the state’s history. As of Monday, Washingtonians were paying $4.97 per gallon of regular gas on average.

In an interview with The Seattle Times, Severin Borenstein, University of California Berkeley professor of business administration and public policy, explained how the state’s new cap-and-invest program, part of the Climate Commitment Act, is likely driving up fuel prices. The costs are adding about 42 cents per gallon of gas, even though officials initially told consumers the program would cost them pennies on the dollar.  

Washington and Oregon’s gas prices have remained historically similar, but Washington’s prices have surged since the cap-and-invest program began in January, according to Times reporting. Washingtonians are now paying about 34 cents more for gas, triple the average difference in gas prices between the two states in the past seven years.

On Friday, Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, called for legislative action to limit gas price increases. Mullet introduced legislation in the 2023 session to cap the price of the carbon allowances sold at quarterly auctions. The bill, which did not receive a hearing, proposed to set a price ceiling at no more than 20% higher than the most recent auction in California. 

“The whole idea all along has been that our price for a permit for a ton of carbon should line up with California’s – instead we’re nearly double California’s price,” Mullet said. “I think the Department of Ecology is sort of dropping the ball here, and it’s the people of Washington who are having to pay for it.”
Three
The Great Resignation
Still Isn't Over
Published on FastCompany.com, June 22, 2023
Photo: Thiago Matos/Pexels; Dustin Tramel/Unsplash

Many assumed that a more precarious economic outlook would bring resignation levels back to pre-pandemic norms. Instead, inflation and recessions fears seem to be inspiring more workers to switch jobs.  

When the economy takes a turn for the worst, quit rates tend to drop dramatically, as they did during the 2008 recession and at the start of the pandemic. A recent study conducted by Bankrate, however, found those who are most concerned about job security in this economy are also more likely to demand a raise, greater flexibility, search for a new job, or quit.

Four
What Does a Cover Letter Really Show a Prospective Employer?
Published in the Kitsap Sun, June 26, 2023
Guest columnist, Monica Blackwood, West Sound Workforce

There will forever be a hot debate on whether cover letters are needed, important, wanted or warranted. My answer: it depends. There are some positions where I can get behind the idea that they aren’t worth it. For the vast majority, however, even if a letter isn’t required, I argue that it’s your chance to really show and tell the screener why you’d be the best candidate for the position.

Five
Save-the-Date: July 13th
Bremerton GreenDrinks
Contact Us
Bremerton Office (360) 479-3579 | 4th & Pacific Downtown Bremerton
Silverdale Office (360) 692-6800 | Kitsap Mall next to Macy's
PO Box 1218 Silverdale WA 98383
If you need assistance, please contact us directly.