Northeast Edition New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Delaware
30
YEARS
www.autobodynews.com
NORTHEAST™ Trade Show Leadership Forum gave attendees a certificate toward NJ Auto Body License renewal. Nick Attendance at the recent NORTH- Halliday, sales manager for Nucar EAST™ trade show, at the Meadow- Wholesale Parts Distributors, facililands in Secaucus, NJ, was 20% tated the seminar with Jim Mickle higher than last year, which was up from General Motors. Aaron Schulenburg, Executive Director of SCRS was heard to say: “The forum provides a tremendous opportunity for us to pull together key leaders in the collision industry, here in the northeast area of the country, and talk about issues that really matter to our members. The event and NORTHEAST as a whole enables us to share information and ultiAASP/NJ Exhibiting at their own show, NORTHEAST™ mately make this business betfrom the year before. Some seminars ter, both now and in the future.” Heard and seen at the show were were overflow seating and organizers had to pull in extra chairs for people other familiar figures in the industry. Several took the mike at the Northeast who arrived late were standing. There were some direct benefits Leadership forum. One person we all wanted to hear associated with presentations, such as “Hybrid Aftermarket Service,” which See Northeast Show, Page 46 by Chasidy Sisk and Janet Cheney
VOL. 2 ISSUE 1 APRIL 2012
Nearly 200 Congressmen and Senators Write in Opposition to China’s Auto Parts Practices On March 16, a group of 188 U.S. lawmakers led by U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) urged President Obama to crack down on “predatory” Chinese pricing practices, which they said are threatening the U.S. auto parts industry and could cost the U.S. more than a million jobs. “We cannot wait until further damage is done,” the nearly 200 members of the House and Senate— including all the Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee—said in a letter to President Obama. “Seventy-five percent of the jobs in the automotive sector are in auto parts, and these jobs are at risk in every state in the nation.” The Congressional letter encourages Presidential action against Chinese predatory trade practices in this sector to be one of the “first and highest priorities” of his Administration’s recently created Interagency Trade
L A I C SP E
E U S S I T PAIN
Enforcement Center. The lawmakers praised the administration’s creation of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to promote a more coordinated effort, which they say will provide the United States additional resources to examine China’s and other nations’ trade violations. This effort, unlike any that have taken place in recent memory, asks the Administration to further investigate the barriers that China has adopted and initiate appropriate action to level the playing field. The complaint is supported by the United Steel Workers. “Most trade cases are filed by the private sector after substantial injury has occurred. China’s practices in this sector have already caused harm, but the goal is also to alter its policies before the complete decimation of our domestic industry. In these critical economic times, we must take every appropriate action to address unfair See Chinese Auto Parts, Page 38
of 3 issues
GIES ECHNOLO T H S I N I REF P A IN T &
U.S. Senate Passes Transportation Bill with Highway Safety Provisions The U.S. Senate has passed Senate Bill 1813, a two-year transportation bill worth $109 billion to go toward highway construction and auto safety initiatives. The House of Representatives has not completed work on its highway bill and may take up the Senate bill. The Senate legislation includes the following:
● revises highway safety improvement programs ● directs the secretary to establish requirements for regularly recurring updates and approval of state strategic highway safety plans ● requires the secretary to issue guidance to states on establishing perSee Highway Safety, Page 57
Change Service Requested
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Ontario, Ca. Permit No. 1