Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber News
  • European Rubber Journal
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • BEST PLACES TO WORK
  • News
    • HUMANITARIAN
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
    • OBITUARIES
    • OPINION
    • MID YEAR REPORT
    • SERVICE ZONE
  • ADAS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Custom
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
  • Resources
    • Events
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
    • SHOP FLOOR
    • AWARDS
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • RUBBER NEWS EVENTS
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Best Places to Work
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
December 23, 2002 01:00 AM

Dock stoppage, Right to Repair, ergonomics impacted dealers

Miles Moore
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    While the TREAD Act dominated government-related news for tire dealers in 2002, there were plenty of other events involving the federal government that also affected dealers directly or indirectly.

    Perhaps the most dramatic of these was the 11-day lockout of West Coast dockworkers in early fall. President Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act Oct. 8, initiating an 80-day ``cooling off'' period to bring labor and management back to the negotiating table.

    A tentative agreement Nov. 24 promised to end the disruption of shipments of tires and other goods arriving at 29 West Coast ports from Seattle to San Diego. But the backlog of shipments still hadn't been cleared after six weeks, creating a major problem in filling dealers' orders from tire companies dependent on Far East shipments, such as Falken Tire Corp. and Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corp.

    Meanwhile in Washington, independent auto repair shops continued their fight to get guarantees of access to diagnostic and repair information, tools and training from auto manufacturers.

    For most of the year, independent garages placed their hopes on the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, on which a Senate subcommittee held a hearing July 30. The bill was designed to require auto makers to provide repair shops with the same repair and diagnostic information on late-model vehicles that they give to new car dealers-at a reasonable price.

    Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. and chairman of the subcommittee at the time of the hearing, urged vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket to work out their differences, but he added the subcommittee would take up the bill if no agreement could be reached.

    Two months later, the Automotive Service Association announced an agreement with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and executives representing 35 different automobile makes.

    In this pact, the vehicle makers promised to provide the repair and diagnostic information in an affordable, reasonably accessible way by Aug. 31, 2003.

    Other aftermarket groups, such as the Tire Industry Association and the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, said that because the ASA agreement contained no enforcement mechanism, the Right to Repair Act was still needed. The ASA, however, said it would work tirelessly to make sure the agreement worked and added that the subcommittee still is ready to act on the bill if necessary.

    One bill that had considerable tire dealer support but little impetus in Congress was the Class Action Fairness Act of 2001, which was designed to move national class-action lawsuits into federal courts and prevent plaintiffs' attorneys from seizing the lion's share of jury awards.

    On the other hand, the tire industry was pleased that the Senate Appropriations Committee in July squelched a back-door attempt to add a controversial ergonomics provision to a Labor Department Appropriations bill.

    The amendment would have required the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue a new standard on workplace repetitive stress injuries within two years of the bill's passage.

    Tire manufacturers and dealers were encouraged by the Bush administration's ergonomics proposals issued April 5. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao promised to make all ergonomics rules task- and industry-specific, and to offer specialized training, information and targeted training grants to industry.

    In November, OSHA and the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy announced they would work together to inform small businesses of the new ergonomics guidelines.

    The next month, Secretary Chao named a 15-member advisory committee to help devise a federal ergonomics program.

    Another Bush administration initiative that pleased tire dealers was its support of Association Health Plans, which would allow trade and industry associations to pool their members to bargain with health care organizations and insurers for benefits. AHPs will help tire dealers lower their insurance costs and beat the further cost of state benefit mandates, TIA said.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected]crain.com.

    Most Popular
    1
    Tire Discounters grows again, adds Skip Cottrell's
    2
    Icahn-owned Auto Plus files for Chapter 11 protection
    3
    Truck sector leads U.S. tire market; consumer down
    4
    K&M welcomes dealers to annual conference in Vegas
    5
    Black's Tire Service holds leadership conference
    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    Reader Services
    • Staff
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • BEST PLACES TO WORK
    • News
      • HUMANITARIAN
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
      • OBITUARIES
      • OPINION
      • MID YEAR REPORT
      • SERVICE ZONE
    • ADAS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Custom
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • Resources
      • Events
        • ASK THE EXPERT
        • LIVESTREAMS
        • WEBINARS
        • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
        • RUBBER NEWS EVENTS
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
      • SHOP FLOOR
        • BALANCING
        • DEMOUNTING
        • SAFETY
        • TIRE REPAIR
        • TPMS
        • TRAINING
        • VEHICLE LIFTING
        • WHEEL TORQUE
      • AWARDS
        • Best Places to Work
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION