Glen Nicholson took over as the Tire Industry Association president during the association’s annual general meeting. Outgoing president Freda Pratt-Boyer passed the gavel on to Nicholson during the Nov. 2 meeting at the Tropicana Las Vegas.
Nicholson is senior director of retail training for TBC Corp. In his position, he oversees all training efforts for the company’s three retail and three franchise brands, which includes Tire Kingdom, NTB Tire & Service Centers, Merchants Tire & Auto Service Centers, Midas, Big O Tires and SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service.
Also during the TIA’s annual meeting, members in attendance approved the minutes from last year’s general meeting, as well as the treasurer’s report. TIA treasurer Mike Wolfe reported that the association’s financial position remains positive. Wolfe shared that Raffa Accounting, a Washington D.C.-based firm, audited the association’s 2014 financial report, and that the audit is available to any TIA member in good standing.
The association also sought the adoption of two resolutions. One resolution dealt with proposed overtime changes. The association said it “will actively oppose the Department of Labor proposed rulemaking and will reach out to members of Congress to publicly oppose the proposed rulemaking.”
The second resolution deals with working families legislation at both state and national levels. Under this resolution, TIA “urges lawmakers to carefully consider the financial impact of social legislation ranging from minimum wage, to equal pay, to workplace flexibility, to child care, to paid leave on the economic well-being of small businesses; and that the association will oppose legislation that will cause economic hardships on its members.”
Tire Review has asked TIA to clarify its position on equal pay, as the proposed resolution appears that the association does not support women’s rights to equal compensation.
The association also recognized outgoing board members at its meeting and welcomed new members. Outgoing members include: Ken Brown, Jim Melvin and Dick Gust. New board members include: Alpio Barbara, Mike Baggett, Keith Jarman, Jim Pangle and Jon Schadl.
Update: TIA has responded to Tire Review’s call for clarification
TIA is in support of equal pay and agrees with all federal laws on the topic. If two people are doing the same job, man or woman, they should be equally compensated, according to Roy Littlefield, executive vice president of TIA.
TIA has added in the term equal pay to its resolution due to some proposed state legislation. Many states are considering removing “reason other than sex defense used by employers,” Littlefield told Tire Review. This could limit small business’ flexibility on employee compensation, he said.
In one example Littlefield shared two employees doing the same job could be making different wages because one is getting health insurance and the other isn’t. In the end compensation comes out the same but wages are different. There also might be a time when employees get different pay based on different shifts. Or an employee wants more flexibility to take care of a child or family member.
TIA wants states to consider carefully what impact this could have on small businesses, Littlefield said. Noting that being “too specific” with wording can hurt small business and their employees.
