Monday August 25 2008

Resources

Establishment of MEMA Regulatory Affairs Committee (RAC)

A new Administration is around the corner. It is anticipated, regardless of which candidate wins, their administration will be a regulatory-friendly one. Both presidential candidates indicate a penchant to place a heavier regulatory hand on American business and industry than their predecessor.

Since MEMA represents a wide variety of manufactured products and industry-specific interests, MEMA tracks a whole host of regulatory activities. Federal agencies such as NHTSA, FMCSA, EPA, DOE, CBP, and OSHA all have different rulemaking and non-rulemaking avenues that they are expected to pursue in the coming months and years in order to implement the policies and goals of the current and future administrations. The following are just a few of the regulatory agencies and subject areas MEMA tracks.

China Labor: Union Membership Required

Global firms operating in China are being pressured to sign up with a government-affiliated union now, or pay more later

RATHER than deal with trade unions, Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, has reconfigured its operations around the world, even pulling out of some markets altogether. But, in a reflection of just how different operating conditions are in China, Wal-Mart signed collective-bargaining agreements with workers in two provinces in July. Further agreements covering all 50,000 of its local employees in China are a foregone conclusion.

US CDL Standards: Isuzu Motors America Asks for Exemption for Drivers

FMCSA announces that Isuzu Motors America (Isuzu) has applied for an exemption from the Federal requirement for a driver of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) to hold a commercial driver's license (CDL). Isuzu requests that the exemption cover 27 of its commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who will test-drive CMVs for Isuzu in the United States. Each of these 27 Isuzu employees holds a valid Japanese CDL but lacks the U.S. residency necessary to obtain a CDL from one of the States of the U.S. Isuzu believes the knowledge and skills tests and training program that drivers undergo to obtain a Japanese CDL ensures that these drivers will achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the exemption.

Sarbanes-Oxley Upheld by Court as Constitutional

An appeals court upheld the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, dismissing arguments that the government's attempt to protect investors from repeats of the scandals at Enron and WorldCom gave federal overseers unchecked power.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a challenge to the heart of the act, the creation of a nonprofit board to set auditing requirements and police the accounting firms that audit public companies.

Long Beach “Loan” Program, What Part of Independent Don’t You Understand?

Port of Long Beach officials came under boisterous criticism Friday from about 60 truckers at the grand opening of a Clean Trucks Center where big-riggers can apply for financial assistance to replace their diesel vehicles with new, cleaner models.

A crowd of protesters assembled about 20 yards from a stage where Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster praised the Terminal Island center as a "first step toward a much cleaner Long Beach of the future." The demonstrators verbally attacked his port's lease-to-own program, which they said could put truckers deep into debt.

Navistar-GM Truck Deal Dead Due to Economic Changes

Navistar International Corp.'s tentative agreement to acquire General Motors Corp.'s medium-truck operation ran out of gas as the result of "significant marketplace and economic changes," the companies said Wednesday.

The original memorandum of understanding they signed late last year has expired, and the companies said both parties decided not to renew the provisional accord.

Take Advantage of MIS Council Benefits

MEMA Information Services Council (MIS Council) provides information technology leadership for manufacturers/suppliers that are members of AASA or HDMA. [company] is a member of the association but is not taking advantage of the opportunities we provide for learning how to utilize technology more efficiently to be a stronger aftermarket supplier.

Please provide the contact information for the top IT/IS/e-commerce executive in your company, so we can communicate the various opportunities we provide. Some of these include:

Job-Hunting Far from Easy for China University Graduates

China’s class of 2008 students saw the nation’s economy make double-digit annual growth seem routine. China has added nearly 11 million new jobs a year since 2004 (in contrast, the U.S. added about 1 million jobs last year), and in a culture in which the only thing revered more than education is making money, the former is supposed to lead directly to the latter.

It does not seem to be happening in quite that way.

Generating enough jobs for the masses of newly minted capitalists who emerge from China’s university system has for years been a challenge.

YRC Acquires Chinese Provider Jiayu Logistics

YRC Worldwide has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, YRC Logistics, has successfully concluded its acquisition of Chinese truckload and LTL provider Shanghai Jiayu Logistics Co., Ltd.

YRC Logistics acquired 65 percent of Jiayu’s stock for $44.7 million, and the company expects to purchase the remaining 35 percent in 2010 for no more than $39 million, depending on Jiayu’s 2008-2009 financial performance.

Deal Finalized in Conti-Schaeffler Merger; Conti CEO Quits

Continental AG has agreed a wide-ranging peace deal with hostile takeover bidder Schaeffler that will see the smaller ball-bearing specialist take a strategic stake in Conti, whose CEO said he would depart at the end of the month.

Schaeffler KG had increased its offer price to EUR75 a share (from EUR70.12) and guaranteed to compensate Conti for any possible disadvantages up to EUR522m, Conti said in a statement on Wednesday, which insisted that its current business strategy would continue.

Energy Package Seen as Unlikely Despite Democrats' “Shift” on Drilling

Republicans recently started using the floor of the House, which is in recess, to demand votes on opening new terrestrial and offshore land for oil and gas exploration, Democrats appeared firm in their insistence that such a vote would not happen. That resistance has gradually melted away in recent days, as the top leaders in both chambers signaled a conditional willingness to allow a vote on drilling after Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made a similar concession earlier this month." The Post adds that "Democrats will use the comprehensive plan [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi (D-Calif.) discussed Saturday as a defense against charges that they won't allow a vote on drilling. But the measure may contain enough unpalatable items for the GOP -- particularly on taxes -- that most members of the minority will vote against it, and Senate Republicans could decide to block it altogether. So it still appears unlikely that the House and Senate will be able to agree on an energy package that would pass with bipartisan support and be signed by President Bush."

Dana to Relocate, Selling Corporate Headquarters Facility and Grounds

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Dana has reached an agreement to sell its corporate headquarters building and grounds to Health Care REIT, a Toledo-based real estate investment trust, for an undisclosed sum. The sale agreement, which is contingent on the support of state and local authorities, is expected to close by Oct. 1.

In conjunction with the agreement, Dana plans to relocate its corporate headquarters staff to its existing Automotive Systems Technology Center located approximately eight miles away in the Toledo suburb of Maumee, Ohio, by mid-2009.

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