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NACS Files Brief Opposing COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate NACS recently announced it has filed a brief opposing the Biden Administration’s emergency court motion to reinstate OSHA’s requirement that private-sector businesses with 100 or more employees have all their workers vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19. In November, NACS joined with nearly a dozen state and national trade associations in suing OSHA over its COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS). The petitioners seek a stay of the effective date of the mandate pending court challenges and ask that the court vacate and set aside the ETS. A NACS survey of its members regarding the OSHA ETS revealed that 99 percent of the industry expects that some employees would quit their jobs rather than undergo vaccination, and that 92 percent of the industry expects that some employees would quit their jobs rather than undergo weekly testing for COVID-19. The survey also found that c-store employers who indicated that employees would leave their jobs over the mandate expect that they would lose 32 percent of their staff. The survey also found that 89 percent of employers in the industry would be forced to reduce store hours; 58 percent would need
to close one or more stores; 57 percent would expect increased difficulty getting products to their stores; 93 percent would face increased difficulty hiring staff; and 47 percent would expect reduced customer traffic.
Truck Driver Shortage At Historic High The American Trucking Association (ATA) recently announced that the current driver shortage has risen to 80,000—an all-time high for the industry. A one-page summary of the estimate also revealed that, based on driver demographic trends, including gender and age, as well as expected freight growth, the shortage could surpass 160,000 in 2030. To keep up with demand over the next decade, the ATA said trucking will need to recruit nearly one million new drivers in order to close the gap caused by demand for freight, projected retirements and other issues.
“ The current truck driver shortage has risen to 80,000—an all-time high for the industry.”
New NCASEF Officers Elected
Congratulations to the newly elected NCASEF officers (from left to right) Romy Singh (Treasurer), Sukhi Sandhu (Chairman) and Joe Rossi (Executive Vice Chairman). The NCASEF held elections for the three officer positions during its fourth quarter Board Meeting, held November 15-17 at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in Hawaii. A candidates forum was held on November 16, and the following day Board members cast their votes. Each assumed their positions on January 1 and will serve two-year terms.
In-store Retail Sales Rise To Pre-Pandemic Levels With brick-and-mortar stores now open across the U.S. physical store sales have increased, rising to 64 percent of all retail sales in September 2021 as online revenue growth slows down, according to The NPD Group. During the first year of the pandemic, between April 2020 and March 2021, e-commerce year-over-year revenue growth exceeded 40 percent every month, but it has mostly remained under 10 percent since that time. In-store gains over last year entered double-digit territory, beginning in March 2021, only dipping slightly in two of the six months that followed. “Physical stores are more relevant today than they were before the pandemic,” said Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry advisor for NPD. “Consumers are no longer buying primarily out of necessity and limited to online shopping which fell short of some expectations—choice has reentered the equation and they are hungrier than ever for the experience of in-person shopping.”
Judges Hesitate To Apply Employment Laws To Franchisees
Judges on Massachusetts’ top court recently expressed doubts that 7-Eleven franchisees should enjoy the same legal protections as rank-and-file workers, which trade groups say would eviscerate the franchise model, reported Reuters. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments in a bid by 7-Eleven franchisees to revive continued on page 14
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