Leadership

New NAM-OMA Study Documents High Cost of Labor Regulations

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and OMA released a new study this week that “outlines the destructive legacy this administration’s relentless labor regulatory agenda will leave for manufacturers, their employees and the communities in which they live.”

The study estimated that regulations on issues such as contractor blacklisting, employee overtime, silica, union elections and injury and illness reporting will not only result in hundreds of millions of hours of paperwork, but will also come at a price tag of more than $80 billion in compliance costs over the next 10 years.

According to the study, recent labor regulations from the administration will cost the following over the next 10 years:

• $81.6 billion in compliance costs
• 155,700 lost jobs
• 411 million hours of paperwork

Key findings include the following:

• The pace of labor rulemaking in the waning months of the Obama presidency will easily exceed that of the previous three two-term presidencies.
• On average, the Obama administration’s Department of Labor finalized nearly twice as many major labor regulations per year than the previous four administrations.

9/22/2016

Governor Kasich Proclaims October 2016 Manufacturing Month

Governor Kasich and Lt. Governor Mary Taylor have issued a resolution proclaiming October 2016 as Manufacturing Month. 

Check out all the proclamations on the MFG DAY site.  9/23/2016

Pictured: Scott Balogh, President & CEO, Mar-Bal, Inc., and First Vice Chairman, OMA, and Lt. Governor Mary Taylor

New Video Added to Rock MFG DAY Kit

Ingenuity is the subject of a new video resource called American Ingenuity that has just been added to the Rock MFG DAY Kit.  This eight-minute video demonstrates how good ideas, implemented by talented designers, makers and engineers have changed the course of life on this planet.

A great inspirational introduction you can use to start your MFG DAY program.  If your company has a registered event on the official calendar, you are eligible to subscribe at no cost to the Rock MFG DAY Kit for 2016 and take advantage of the nearly 20 different multi-media resources it offers to event hosts.  9/22/2016

OMA Files Amicus Brief in Asbestos “Take home” Exposure Case

This week the OMA filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of Ohio that asks the high court to consider a lower court decision that is detrimental to asbestos injury defense.

The issue that the amicus brief will ask the Ohio Supreme Court to take up deals with what constitutes a “substantial factor” in the context of asbestos related litigation. Plaintiff-Appellee relied on what is commonly referred to as the “each and every fiber theory of liability” or cumulative exposure liability, which goes to the element of substantial contributing factor in tort cases.  Under this theory the plaintiffs’ medical experts argue that every exposure to asbestos is significant since it adds to the cumulative exposure, which is what causes mesothelioma (or any other asbestos related disease).

Ohio Revised Code 2307.96 defines what constitutes a substantial factor and it was added to the revised Code so that plaintiffs cannot keep defendant manufacturers in a case if they assert only a brief, insignificant exposure to asbestos from that manufacturer’s product.  The courts in Ohio have been ignoring that issue and holding manufacturers in cases even for brief insignificant claimed exposures.

The “each and every fiber theory of liability” and what is required to be a substantial contributing factor in causing a disease is being litigated across the country and not just in Ohio.  The issue also has implications in many areas outside asbestos litigation such as chemical exposures, radiation exposures, ingestion of food additives, etc.  9/22/2016

Gov. Kasich & Bob Gates to Discuss America’s Role in the World – Register Now to Attend

Growing global challenges — from Syria to ISIS to Zika — impact America’s economic and security interests every day.  Hear Governor John Kasich and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates discuss why America’s role in the world matters for this election and beyond.

The event is offered by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and co-sponsored by OMA.  It will be held on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, noon – 1:30 p.m. at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High Street, Columbus, OH.  The event includes lunch.  There is no charge but you must register.  9/22/2016

NAM Releases Q3 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Cautiously Encouraging

According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, out this week, “… sentiment appears to have stabilized after several quarters of declining assessments about the economic outlook, and the latest data appear to mostly back that assertion up, but with some caveats. Indeed, economic challenges continue in the sector, among them being concerns over rising health care costs and dampening perceived growth rates over the next 12 months despite some progress in this release.

“Large manufacturers were more upbeat about their company’s outlook this quarter, but small and medium-sized manufacturers experienced declines in their outlook in this survey. Overall, one could characterize manufacturers’ current economic outlook as cautiously encouraging, but still less-than-desired and highly varied by firm size and export sales growth expectations.”

And, “In this survey, 61.0 percent of manufacturers are either somewhat or very positive about their own company’s outlook, easing slightly from 61.7 percent who said the same thing in June. Yet, the outlook remained stronger than at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, marking some progress from earlier softness. At the same time, this marks the fifth consecutive quarter when positive responses about the outlook have fallen below the historic average of 73.0 percent.”  9/14/2016

Joint Committee Hears from Labor on Unemployment Compensation Reforms

The House and Senate Joint Committee on Unemployment Compensation Reform heard testimony this week from a myriad of social activists, labor unions, and others regarding the state’s unemployment system.

One of the left leaning groups, Policy Matters Ohio, outlined its proposal for the state’s unemployment compensation system, including the largest increase to employers in Ohio unemployment insurance history – 55% – to finance benefits.

Much of the rest of the testimony from the various groups misconstrued proposals contained in House Bill 394, a pending bill of unemployment compensation reforms, through a combination of overgeneralizations, omissions and factual inaccuracies.  Three more hearings will be held throughout October and November.  9/15/2016

New MFG DAY Marketing Resources for Hosts

MFG DAY just added a new resource to the Host Dashboard — an event promotion kit that comes with some practical marketing tools — such as an email, social media profile graphics, and prewritten social media posts — designed to help event hosts raise awareness for their MFG DAY events.

Registered hosts can log in to their accounts and start promoting their events with these out-of-the-box materials in minutes.

It’s not too late to register an event.  More here!  9/15/2016

MFG DAY Goes to the Races

For the fourth year in a row, the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion will feature the MFG DAY logo during the first race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series!  This year’s Chase kicks off at the Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 18.  Follow No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion driver Joey Logano on Twitter and root for him and MFG DAY this Sunday!  9/15/2016

JobsOhio Offers New ‘Investing in Ohio’ Guide

JobsOhio has a new guide to capital investment in our state, Investing in Ohio.  The guide is a detailed, 100+ page selling tool that profiles the state by region, industries, resources and funding, among other information.

Investors will find a business climate overview, information on sources of venture funding, logistics, and a statistical profile of Ohio.

For more information, including links to download or request a copy of the guide, click here.  9/14/2016