Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/762675
MTD December 2016 News/views Judge declares overtime ruling to be 'unlawful' for now The U.S. Department of Labor's rule updating overtime regulations automatically extended overtime pay protections to more than 4 million workers within the first year of implementation. The ruling was set to go into effect Dec. 1, 2016. On Nov. 22, Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas granted a nationwide injunction to prevent the ruling from going into effect. Dennis McCarron, executive director of Dealer Strategic Planning Inc. and a monthly contributor to Modern Tire Dealer's "Business Insight" column, believes the rule change will be tweaked rather than struck down permanently. "It is unfortunate that the U.S. government, specifically the Depart- ment of Labor, announced a dramatic rule change earlier this year nearly doubling the minimum earnings of frontline managers, and then the U.S. Courts issued an injunction delaying the rule eight days before the Dec. 1 deadline. Such unpredictable behavior is neither good for employees or employers. "To be as brief as possible: The wage and hour salary guidelines have two existing tests: 1) a duties test and 2) a wages test. The duties test hasn't changed. If you are salaried, you must make independent deci- sions on major business decisions like hiring, firing, marketing, schedul- ing, etc. This is without prior approval of anyone, including owners. "The salary test is what the rule change was scheduled for. If you passed the duties test, your minimum salary was to increase to $47,476. "The injunction simply delays this rule change," says McCarron. "Interesting it happened after the election, no? "Most likely, since the injunction is about how the rule changed and what power the government has to set salary minimums, it is most prob- able that the rule change will go through Congress and get tweaked, not simply struck down." Bridgestone's stores to share point-of- sale data with GfK The 2,200-plus tire and automotive service centers owned and operated by Bridgestone Retail Operations LLC (BSRO) have signed on to provide data for the GfK Group's point-of-sale (POS) tire panel in the U.S. Through the panel, tire retailers and manu- facturers for the first time will have access to information on sales and other metrics from outlets throughout the country. Retail- ers can use this data to benchmark and optimize their performance. Custom and syndicated reports from the tire panel database will allow manufacturers to make more informed decisions about product devel- opment, promotional support, inventory management, and marketing based on sell-through trends in the U.S. replacement tire channel. In addition to the BSRO outlets, GfK has recruited more than 1,000 independent U.S. tire stores to the panel. Nexen sponsors winter sports Nexen Tire Corp. will sponsor four global winter sports competitions leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, Korea. Alliance has warranty app Alliance Tire Americas Inc. (ATA) has a new website and mobile app designed to simplify the warranty submission process for Alliance, Galaxy, and Primex brand off-the- road tires. Tire makers honored The top prizes for innovation awarded in advance of the 2017 Paris International Agri-Business Show were won by Michelin Groupe and Trelleborg Wheel Systems. Kumho partners with NBA Kumho Tire USA Inc. and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have agreed to extend their multiyear marketing partnership in the U.S., Canada, and Korea. Continental has new TV ads Continental Tire the Americas LLC's 'Ode To Basketball' television ads promote the company's involvement in college basketball. The ads feature Dan Patrick, host of the Dan Patrick Show. Cooper buys interest in plant Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has completed its $93 million purchase of a 65% interest in China-based Qingdao Ge Rui Da Rubber Co. Ltd. The plant produces truck and bus radial tires. Mahle releases app The Service Solutions division of Mahle Aftermarket Inc. has unveiled an app to help technicians view the status of the company's ArcticPro machines during vehicle service. New date for China tire show The organizers of the China International Tire Expo (CITEXPO) have set a new date for the 2017 event: August 21, 22, and 23. Meyle has new website Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG has launched a new website for its Meyle brand. bites Neil Portnoy, left, managing director, retail and technology at GfK in the U.S., is working with former Bridgestone/Fires- tone executive John Gamauf to collect point-of-sale informa- tion from tire dealers. 16