More information about the final rule

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a rule update which will make an estimated 1.3 million American workers eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The final rule updates the earnings thresholds necessary to exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime pay requirements, and allows employers to count a portion of certain bonuses (and commissions) towards meeting the salary level. The current thresholds have been in place since 2004, following federal court actions in 2016 which blocked rules that would have doubled the threshold. In this final rule, the Department is:

• raising the “standard salary level” from the currently enforced level of $455 to $684 per week (equivalent to $35,568 per year for a full-year worker);
• raising the total annual compensation level for “highly compensated employees (HCE)” from the currently-enforced level of $100,000 to $107,432 per year;
• allowing employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) that are paid at least annually to satisfy up to 10 percent of the standard salary level, in recognition of evolving pay practices; and
• revising the special salary levels for workers in U.S. territories and in the motion picture industry.

The final rule will be effective on Jan. 1, 2020.

Pennsylvania employers are currently unable to utilize the “highly compensated employee” exemption, as well as others, based on a quirk in state law. State Senator Lisa Baker is attempting to remedy this issue through S.B. 762. No change is proposed to the so-called duties tests, which define Executive, Administrative and Professional, and the rule does not require automatic salary threshold increases, as had been previously proposed.

The Department estimates that 1.2 million additional workers will be entitled to overtime pay as a result of the increase to the standard salary level. The Department also estimates that an additional 101,800 workers will be entitled to overtime pay as a result of the increase to the HCE compensation level.

From ChamberChoice & Smart Business Pittsburgh

The way that employers communicate benefits information to employees has a tremendous impact on how well the programs are understood, utilized and perceived.

“Managers and supervisors can be effective in sharing important benefits information, especially if it is not scripted or canned. Since they are most likely to know what their employees understand, they might be better able to present benefits information in a way that makes sense. As an employee’s main point of contact, managers and supervisors also tend to be more approachable with questions,” says Judy Griffith, compliance officer at JRG Advisors.

Opportunities to ask questions, express dissatisfaction and discuss problems with supervisors and managers should be encouraged. However, when managers and supervisors share benefits information, it needs to be done with caution.

Smart Business spoke with Griffith about effective benefit plan communication, via managers and supervisors.

How can an employer avoid verbal communication problems?

Communicating inaccurate information to employees is always a major concern when using managers and supervisors to relate benefits information. Employers should be mindful that misinformation not only causes an employee relation problem, it has the possibility of leading to litigation, as well.

Follow these tips to avoid problems.

• Consider allowing only specific HR personnel to discuss benefits information.

• Remind supervisors and managers, who may be asked benefits questions, to review their plan documents carefully. They should refer any question they’re unsure how to address to the HR department.

• Whether formal or informal, don’t make promises regarding any aspect of the plan that the company won’t be able to keep.

• State in the documents that amendments are to be made only in writing and approved by the corporate representative or plan administrator, if applicable.

What are some written communications cautions to be considered?

Even if written material about benefits information isn’t an official plan document, informal written promises can still prevail in court. So, make sure informal written communication about the plan is consistent with official documents before distributing.

Employees often rely on summary plan descriptions to determine their rights under a specific plan. In the event of an issue due to discrepancies between plan documents and the summary plan document, the summary plan document can hold up in court. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure the summary plan document is correct, current, clear and in agreement with the plan documents, handbooks and other benefits information.

As a safety measure, be sure that the summary plan description, handbooks and other benefits communications state clearly that the plan document has absolute authority over them. This should appear in a separate paragraph in a prominent position. Consider using larger, italic or boldfaced type, or a distinct border, to make the information readily apparent.

Other general helpful tips include:

• Keep a copy of each communication or disclosure sent to employees, however informal.

• Grant discretion to fiduciaries in the plan document.

• Make sure all documents relating to the plan don’t include misleading information before distributing. Request additional information from the plan administrator, if necessary.

• Reserve the right to amend the plan at any time for any reason.

In addition, health insurance issuers and group health plans are required to provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), an easy-to-understand summary about health plans benefits and coverage. These simplistic health plan summaries can help an employer explain benefits to employees.

How can selecting the right broker help?

Employers should partner with an experienced benefits professional who can provide an effective benefits communications solution and strategy. This strategy should include engaging communications that reflect the needs, wants and motivations of your employees, and also comply with the legal requirements surrounding the benefits plan.

View the seminar handout (pdf)

Several leaders from local organizations gathered at the Hampton Inn Bloomsburg on Sept. 12 for a breakfast seminar featuring Caz Russell of Caz Russell, LLC. The seminar was titled “Developing the Leaders Around You,” and was sponsored by PPL Electric Utilities. Breakfast was provided by Ponduce Farms. 

In today’s world of low unemployment, it is more critical than ever that acquire and keep good people for their organizations. Good leaders attract potential leaders, and leaders who mentor others multiply their effectiveness. It is an ongoing process and there are many steps that need to be taken to do so. 

The entire seminar, which lasts about 50 minutes, can be viewed below, or directly on the Chamber’s YouTube channel. 

From PA Chamber of Business and Industry

In its first week back to session, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives started to move several bills from the “Energize PA” package through the legislative process.  “Energize PA” is a pro-growth initiative of the House Republican caucus that aims to increase and expand energy and manufacturing related investments and job opportunities in the Commonwealth. 

Last week, the House passed H.B. 1100 – legislation to create the Energy and Fertilizer Manufacturing Tax Credit – by a vote of 139 to 46.  Based on the successful Pennsylvania Resource Manufacturing tax credit established in 2012, this program would target large manufacturers using Pennsylvania methane in the production of ammonia, urea and methanol.  The legislation now awaits consideration by the Senate. 

Also last week, the House State Government Committee approved two permitting reform bills from the package – H.B. 1106 and H.B. 1107.  House Bill 1106 would overhaul the state’s environmental permitting and general plan approval processes by putting into place a 30-day timeframe for approval and also further defines what criteria must be met for applications to be designated as “complete.” House Bill 1107 would help to alleviate permitting backlogs and delays by removing the Department of Environmental Protection’s duty of issuing permits and vesting that authority with an independent Pennsylvania Permitting Commission.  Both of these bills are expected to be voted on by the full House this week. 

PA Chamber President Gene Barr voiced the organization’s support of the “Energize PA” package at a press conference with Speaker Turzai and House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler last week.  Video of his remarks, as well as pictures from the event, can be viewed on the PA Chamber’s Twitter feed.  An article about the press event by the online news site Center Square was picked up by several news outlets, including: Tioga Publishing, The Bradford Era, The Courier Express, Somerset Daily American and Indiana Gazette.

• The Danville Area Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, will hold its grant awards breakfast on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 8:30-10 a.m., at the Meadows Community Center at the Maria Joseph Continuing Care Community. This event annually celebrates the investments made to community organizations through the work of the DACF. Local nonprofit organizations will be presented with 2019 grant awards during the breakfast. Reservations are required but there is no cost to attend (see printed invitation). To reserve your seat, please contact Katie Simpson by email or at 570-752-3930 by Oct. 2.

• The fall issue of the Montour Preserve newsletter, prepared by the Montour Area Recreation Commission, is now available. 

• 

  MARC director Bob Stoudt (center) accepts a donation from agents from Villager Realty’s Danville office.

  Villager Realty’s Danville office recently made a $1,000 donation to the Montour Area Recreation Commission to benefit the Montour Preserve.

• Knoebels Amusement Resort received three first place honors at Amusement Today’s 2019 Golden Ticket Awards, which were held earlier this month and annually honor the “best of the best” in the amusement industry (view all winners). The results come from a survey that is sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans around the world asking the to rate the “bests” in 22 categories. For the second straight year, the Phoenix was named the top wooden roller coaster in the world, and it is one or just two wooden roller coasters that have made the top 10 each year for the last 22 years. Knoebels also captured the top honor for best food, which it has won 17 times in the last 20 years. Also, the category of “Best Carousel” was one of four categories that was retired this year, and Knoebels’ was recognized as a Legend in this category after its Grand Carousel took first place in every year the award was presented – 14 in total. Additionally, Knoebels finished in third place for Best Halloween Event of 2018 for its Hallo-Fun Weekends in October. WBRE had a brief news report on these honors. 

• Wild For Salmon will hold a fall tasting event on Saturday, Oct. 12, at its store at 521 Montour Blvd. (Rt. 11), Bloomsburg, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Come out and taste some samples of sockeye salmon tortilla soup, keta salmon power bites, holiday shrimp dip, and 7-layer salmon dip.

• The Children’s Museum, The Exchange, the Bloomsburg Area YMCA, AGAPE and Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble will team up to hold Boo!burg, a free Halloween event, at the Children’ Museum, on Friday, Oct. 25, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Enjoy Trunk-or-Treat, children’s crafts and games, marshmallow roasting, a costume contest, watch a great pumpkin drop and more. 

• There will be a fun, Halloween-themed, family-friendly fundraising event on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Hawkins Chevrolet, located at 1856 Montour Blvd. (Rt. 11), Danville, to benefit the Montour Area Recreation Commission, which manages the Montour Preserve. This event is being hosted by the Danville Business Alliance and several other Danville-based organizations. It will feature an obstacle course, pumpkin toss, trunk or treat and much more. All proceeds raised from the event will benefit MARC, which currently does not have enough funding to sustain operations beyond next fall. For additional information, visit the Facebook event page, and view the below video. 

From Montour County & the Montour Area Recreation Commission

The Montour County Commissioners, working in conjunction with leadership and boards of the Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) and Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau (CMVB), have developed a plan to ensure the ongoing funding of MARC, including operation of the Montour Preserve and maintenance of the Hess Recreation Area, Robbins Trail, North Branch Canal Trail, Hopewell Park, and other outdoor recreation operations. The proposed plan will increase the county hotel room tax from 3% to 5% effective as of Jan. 1, 2020.

Ken Holdren, Chairman of the Montour County Commissioners, said “Montour County is thrilled that this plan will ensure the continued growth of recreation opportunities in the county to service its citizens and draw outside visitors while at the same time, not increase the tax burden for Montour County citizens.”

Act 18, as enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and signed by Governor Tom Wolf on April 20, 2016, provides the legal authority for the proposed tax increase. Of the counties statewide that have been affected by the new legislature, roughly two-thirds have elected to increase the tax in their respective counties.

Outdoor recreation is one of the major keys to creating an environment that encourages travelers to visit a location. Historically, outdoor recreation has been one of the top two reasons people travel to the Columbia-Montour region.

MARC has worked since 2005 to create, maintain, and protect parks and outdoor recreational opportunities in Montour County, including the Montour Preserve. Bob Stoudt, Director of MARC, stated “it has been a constant struggle to find the funding needed to fulfill our mission and the proposed plan to increase the Montour County hotel room tax rate to support MARC’s operations will be a game-changer for our organization and for parks and trails in Montour County. This plan will fundamentally refocus our efforts from struggling to exist to building the next generation of outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to Montour County. MARC is sincerely grateful for the support of the Montour County Commissioners, the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau and the many supporters who have advocated on behalf of the long-term stewardship of parks and trails in Montour County.”

According to Otto Kurecian, Executive Director of the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, the CMVB’s philosophy is circular and simple. If you build a place people want to visit, you’ll build a place where people want to live. Build a place where people want to live, and you’ll build a place where people want to work. Build a place where people want to work, and you’ll build a place where business has to be. Build a place where business has to be, and you’ll build a place where people have to visit. “I personally believe a progressive parks and recreational system is a crucial element to the economic viability of our region,” Kurecian remarked.

The Visitors Bureau believes that tourism is critical to the economic well-being of the region and will continue to market, promote and support the local communities. In 2017 (most recent figures), visitor spending in Columbia & Montour Counties equaled $265.6 million, representing a 6.8% increase from the previous year. The 2017 spending figure also set an all-time record high for the counties. The tourism industry currently employs 2,276 people in the two counties, and generates $24.9 million in state and local taxes each year.

WNEP had a news report on these developments. 

From PPL Electric Utilities

It happens every summer. Around June, students leave their classrooms for a summer of fun, friends and family. For many children, their summer agendas lack the things that are most important in keeping them on track academically: books.

It’s called the “summer slide.” Thanks to PPL Electric Utilities‘ Cover to Cover reading program, more than 8,300 students in grades K-3 were able to avoid the summer slide while experiencing the joy of reading during summer vacation.

During springtime, PPL employees and the PPL Foundation donated new or gently used books, which were delivered to 25 schools throughout our 29-county service area, including to a pair of schools in the Danville Area School District. Each student was able to select four books to keep and read over the summer. In Danville, all students in kindergarten through third grade received books this past summer as part of this program. 

Cover to Cover helps children who would otherwise miss out on reading and learning opportunities in the summer. Not reading over the summer can cause these young students to fall behind as much as two grade levels by the fifth grade.

This was PPL’s fourth Cover to Cover program. Since the program started, more than 26,000 students have received books.

Scholar and author Mary Ellen Chase once noted, “There is no substitute for books in the life of a child.” We couldn’t agree more

The below news story is from WNEP and ran in early June when the books were distributed to students at the Danville Primary School. 

Small Business Owners: Make your voice heard!

The Federal Reserve Banks are conducting a national survey of existing and pre-start small business owners/managers. This survey – the Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) helps to amplify the voices of small businesses. It tracks small business financing conditions and brings small business conditions to the attention of service providers, lenders, and policy makers. Individual responses are confidential.

The SBCS is a national sample of small businesses — those with fewer than 500 employees — aimed at providing insight into firms’ financing and debt needs and experiences. It is designed to identify potential financing challenges affecting small businesses and bring them to the attention of those who have the ability to make changes.

More than 400 chambers of commerce, small business development centers, lenders, and other technical assistance and advisory organizations have invited their members to participate in previous surveys. Firms have used information from the SBCS to advance their business goals and assist with other policy objectives.

Summary results will be shared with you. You are encouraged to take the survey today. It is estimated that it will take about only 10 minutes to complete the survey. 

The survey closes Dec. 20, 2019. For questions, contact PHILFedSmallBusiness@phil.frb.org.

If you have problems with the link above, copy and paste the following URL into a new browser
http://frb.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6eU4rTBoP0L3MPz?orgid=ColumbiaMontour_CC&parentid=&reserve_bank=PHI

From Penn State World Campus

Note: Employees of all Columbia Montour Chamber members, their spouses and dependents are eligible for a 5% discount on tuition through the PSU World Campus.

Katherine Meckler, a captain in the United States Air Force, helps pilots to navigate the skies, has completed six deployments around the world since 2017, and moved across the country for a new assignment. Despite leading such a busy life, she is pursuing her master’s degree online from Penn State and carries a 4.0 GPA.

Meckler is a Penn State World Campus student who is balancing the demands of serving in the military and working toward a master’s degree in geographic information systems. Meckler, who has a bachelor’s degree in geography, hopes her master’s degree will allow her to go back to the geographic information field once her active-duty military service ends.

“I knew I wanted to get it in something similar to my undergraduate degree since I loved what I studied,” said Meckler, who received her bachelor’s degree from Penn State’s Department of Geography in 2014. “It only made sense to look at World Campus programs because Penn State is world-renowned for its geography programs, and World Campus would allow me to study anywhere in the world.”

Meckler traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East for her airborne job. She used every bit of downtime that she could find to pursue her degree.

“Getting my work done was more about time management than anything else,” Meckler said. “Most of the time I was just able to work on school from my hotel room or the base library.”

Other times, Meckler was able to turn technological challenges into opportunities.

“There was this one deployment when the internet was spotty in my hotel room, so I did most of my work in a pub down the street. I would sit there for hours and the staff got to know me pretty well,” Meckler said. “They would just keep bringing me tea kettle after tea kettle, sometimes with a scone and clotted cream or a slice of spice cake on the house. It was a wonderful way to immerse myself in the culture.”

Meckler said that her success was made possible in part by Penn State instructors who understood her military lifestyle.

“They were communicating with me constantly to work out a plan,” Meckler said of her professors, who teach in the Department of Geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “They treated me as a valuable member of their community and genuinely care about my success in their program.”

Meckler received the 2019 Lt. Michael P. Murphy Award in Geospatial Intelligence, which recognizes achievement by a Penn State graduate who is serving or has served in the U.S. armed forces or the intelligence community, based on their contribution to the geospatial intelligence discipline.

“It was an absolute honor to receive the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Award not only because of what it honors, but also for who it honors,” Meckler said. “To me, Lt. Murphy was the physical embodiment of giving your all in whatever you do.”

Meckler expects to graduate in May. She aspires to transition her passion for geographic information systems to a career with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency after her active-duty military service ends.

Visit the Penn State World Campus website for more information about the master’s degree in geographic information systems.

While they didn’t do any actual reading (unless they checked out a book to take home with them after the event), members had an opportunity to meet and interact with several employees of the Bloomsburg Public Library, as well as a majority of its board and board members of the Friends of the Library at September’s Business After Hours. Attendees heard directly from library staffers and board members about what’s going on at the library, the various programs and services available to all patrons, and about the value of the library to the community. 

Attendees also had an opportunity to enjoy some delicious appetizers prepared with care by several different board members and other volunteers. With September also being Library Card Sign-Up month nationally, which is intended to promote literacy, attendees also had the opportunity to sign up for a card if they didn’t already have one, and anyone else is welcome to stop in this month or anytime at the library to do just that. 

Business After Hours provide regular opportunities to build business relationships while learning about the services offered by other Chamber members. The next Business After Hours will be held at Service 1st Federal Credit Union’s Elysburg branch, located at 196 West Valley Ave., Elysburg, on Thursday, Oct. 10, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. There will also be a second Business After Hours in October on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Berwick Hospital Center, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.