Congress put a sudden stop to OSHA's plans for a sweeping set of new regulations that could have cost drycleaners and other businesses thousands or even millions of dollars.
Last year, in the waning days of the Clinton administration, OSHA announced that it was going ahead with a new ergonomics standard that would apply to nearly all businesses in the United States. But last month, in the early days of the Bush Administration, Congress said, "No." Calling on the never before used Congressional Review Act, Congress canceled OSHA's plans to implement the rule. The Senate voted 56-44 on March 6 to stop implementation. The House followed the next day with a vote of 223-206.
If not for that action and President Bush's cooperation in signing the bill, drycleaners and thousands of other businesses would have spent the next few months trying to come to terms with new words and phrases like "ergonomics" and "musculoskeletal disorders." Not only would business owners have had to learn these terms for themselves, they would have had to explain them to employees, and then prepare for a possible onslaught of complaints that "this job is giving me a pain in the (choose a body part)." That complaint could start a chain of events that would prove costly to the business while reducing productivity in plant. The lifting of that burden by Congress was immediately and loudly cheered by a chorus of business groups, including the International Fabricare Institute, the Textile Care Allied Trades Association and the Textile Rental Services Association in the garment care industry. They had been battling the regulation since it was first proposed by OSHA in late 1999 and had been girding for a court battle over the rules since OSHA said last November that it was going ahead with the standard despite intensive criticism from many sectors.
"If ever there was a regulation that deserved to die under the Congressional Review Act, this was it," said Bill Fisher, IFI's CEO. "I don't think we have ever seen such an ill-conceived regulation, especially one where it seemed its chief purpose was to break the backs of businesses." Fisher noted that the proposed OSHA rule had been "one of the No. 1 priorities" of Pat Williams, IFI's vice president of government affairs, when she talked to Congressional leaders. IFI submitted written comments and testified before OSHA on the burden that the standard would have placed on the drycleaning industry. IFI also supported efforts in Congress last year to head off the regulation, but those efforts fell by the wayside.
Once OSHA announced it was going ahead with the rule, despite widespread opposition, IFI joined with the National Coalition on Ergonomics in a lawsuit against OSHA in an effort to block the standard.
At the time, it appeared the courts offered the best hope of stopping the new rule. That Congress took the action was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless from IFI's standpoint.
Gone but not forgotten Williams, however, tempered the celebration with a cautionary note: while the ergonomics rule is dead, ergonomics itself still lives.
"We're relieved we won't have this rule," she said. "But something will happen. Something will come along down the road. But it probably won't be as onerous." The Congressional Review Act gave Congress 60 days to act on the proposal after OSHA initiated it. The act also bars OSHA from reissuing the standard in "substantially the same form." But there is still strong sentiment in many quarters, especially organized labor and among Democrats, for some kind of ergonomics standard. Williams noted that the votes in the Senate and House followed closely along party lines. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) was particularly vocal in his displeasure with the action of Congress in overturning OSHA's rule.
"If OSHA can come up with a common-sense regulation that would help reduce lost employee time, then they would be looking in the right direction," Fisher said, adding, "But that's a big if." In the meantime, the drycleaning is relieved of having to implement expensive and perhaps unnecessary changes in the workplace to accommodate the OSHA requirement, which "was vague and over-broad and didn't make a lot of sense." "Many IFI members were probably unaware of how insidious and disastrous this rule would have been in its impact on them," Fisher said.
As an example, Fisher cited a case, detailed in the March issue of IFI's Fabricare magazine, concerning a recent claim filed under workers' comp that cost a cleaner $894.94. Under the ergonomics rule, that same injury would have cost at least $6,000, Fisher said.
"As I think many people were also unaware, this cost would not have been covered under workers' comp but would have come directly out of the cleaner's pocket," Fisher said.
Hundreds of Philadelphia-area high school students will be dressed to the nines on prom night due to the efforts of a handful of "fairy godmothers." It's no secret that the fancy gowns that young women favor for their proms can be expensive. For some students, the cost is beyond their means. Enter the Fairy Godmothers. Borrowing an idea she learned about in Arizona, a suburban Philadelphia business owner, Joyce Jesko, asked her drycleaner, Peter DiPietro, if he would be willing to help collect and clean used prom gowns for the Fairy Godmother program. As the head Fairy Godmother, Jesko would see that the refurbished gowns were distributed to area high school students who had the desire, but not the funds, to dress in high style on prom night.
DiPietro, the owner of Hampton Cleaners, agreed to help. Jesko offered to compensate him for the cleaning and pressing, but DiPietro declined. As a regular participant in the Neighborhood Cleaners Association "Coats for Kids" program and a donor to other local charities, he is accustomed to "pro bono" drycleaning.
"My machines hardly use any perc, so all it really costs me is the labor for pressing," he explained.
As word of the Fairy Godmother program went out, the gowns started coming in. Within a couple of weeks, more than 200 gowns had been processed at Hampton Cleaners. DiPietro and his pressers, Lee Calvin Hicks and James Majett, put in some Sunday hours to get the first batch of gowns ready to go. And the gowns were still coming in.
"They're good quality gowns and in pretty good shape," DiPietro said. Some, he noted came in with the store tags still on them.
Local newspapers and television stations took notice of the program. One Philadelphia TV station was one the scene when gowns were distributed at one of the high schools.
"Everybody in the community thinks it's a great idea," DiPietro said. Obviously, he does, too.
A revised proposal to provide a tax credit for the purchase of certain types of drycleaning and wetcleaning equipment has been reintroduced by the Rep. Don Manzullo, (R-IL).
Rep. Manzullo was one of the key backers of the legislation in the last Congress. In the new, 107th Congress, he has ascended to the chairmanship of the House Small Business Committee and he has wasted little time in renewing his proposal.
Like the original bill, the new measure (HR 978) would give a tax credit of up to 20 percent for "equipment that uses non-hazardous primary process solvents." The new legislation, however, expands on the original in several ways. For example, the language has been retooled to make certain that both wetcleaning equipment and drycleaning machines that use siloxane solvents (i.e., GreenEarth) are eligible for the tax credit. For another, a new provision would enlarge the tax credit to 40 percent if the equipment goes into a plant that is located in an empowerment zone, enterprise community or renewal community.
The changes were made in part as a response to concerns raised about the original bill. Some questions were raised as to whether wetcleaning equipment was really included in the original legislation since only "drycleaning" equipment was specifically mentioned.
The new bill leaves no doubt about the intentions, with wetcleaning specifically included in the language.
"Qualified dry or wet cleaning property," the bill says, "means equipment designed primarily to clean textile by professional using special technology, detergents, and additives to minimize potential for adverse effects, or appropriately dry or apply restorative finishing procedures to such textile." Last year, critics of the bill said it appeared to only benefit one particular cleaning technology -- namely liquid carbon dioxide. Other technologies were either specifically excluded, such as perc and petroleum solvents, or, as in the case of GreenEarth or wetcleaning, it was uncertain that they were included.
Rep. Manzullo had no intention of sponsoring a bill that would benefit only one technology or one company, his chief of staff, Kurt Markva said. His goal is to encourage new, environmentally sound technologies, he said. Thus the bill was rewritten to make it clear that machines using those technologies would be eligible for the tax credit.
Markva said that comments made by IFI CEO Bill Fisher at a hearing on the bill last summer played a key part in its revision. But he acknowledged that everything that IFI suggested was not incorporated into the new bill.
IFI, for example, has said that cleaners should get credit for their investments in new equipment that uses reduced amounts of perc or petroleum solvents. IFI also suggested that the credits should be extended back to the mid-1990s when cleaners began installing the new wetcleaning machines, machines that use the newer hydrocarbon solvents and highly efficient perc machines.
None of that is in the new bill. For starters, only machines placed in service after Jan. 1, 2001 would be eligible. And perc and petroleum machines are specifically ruled out.
Markva likened the situation to tax credits for electric cars. Even highly efficient gasoline powered automobiles are not eligible. The goal is to encourage the development and implementation of new technologies.
"It's a compromise bill," Markva said. "It is not 100 percent of what IFI wants, nor is it 100 percent of what the environmentalists want. But we want something that will pass." "We shouldn't let the perfect become the enemy of the good," he added.
Markva described the legislation as a "positive incentive approach" to helping drycleaners with their environmental problems.
IFI will try to gauge the sentiments of its memberships before taking a firm position on the bill, said Patricia Williams, IFI's vice president of government affairs. Williams said she was glad the bill had been expanded from its original version but was disappointed that equipment for DF-2000, for example, was not included.
"We look forward to working with the committee," Williams added.
The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee of which Rep. David Camp (R-MI) is a member. Camp is a sponsor of the bill and was a key supporter of the bill in the last Congress, too. Eight other representatives signed on as cosponsors when the legislation was introduced.
The bill's language has also been incorporated into the Small Employer Tax Relief Act (H.R. 1037), another piece of legislation that Rep. Manzullo introduced last month.
That bill contains a number of provisions of interest to small business owners. It simplifies the tax code for small businesses and provides new taxpayer rights and protections, including updated depreciation rules, simplified reporting requirements, and increased exemption amounts for the self-employed. Approximately 750,000 self-employed Americans with incomes between $400 and $740 would no longer have to file returns or pay income taxes, Rep. Manzullo said.
Highlights of the Tax Credit Bill
- Formal Name: Small Business Pollution Prevention Opportunity Act of 2001
- Bill Number: H.R. 978
- Provides a credit against income tax of 20 percent of the basis of each qualified drycleaning or wetcleaning property placed in service during the taxable year.
- The tax credit is 40 percent if the property is in an empowerment zone, enterprise community or renewal community.
- Equipment must be placed in service on or after January 1, 2001.
- Qualifying Equipment: Drycleaning or wetcleaning equipment designed primarily to clean textiles by professionals using special technology, detergents and additives to minimize potential for adverse effect, or appropriately dry or apply restorative finishing procedures to such textiles.
- The "primary process solvent" may not contain any hazardous solvent. Hazardous solvent is any solvent any portion of which consists of a chlorinated solvent, a volatile organic compound or any other hazardous regulated substance or which has been determined to possess carcinogenic potential in human or bioaccumulative properties.
- The bill's language also has been incorporated into the Small Employer Tax Relief Act (H.R. 1037) which was introduced in the House by Rep. Manzullo last month.
- Both bills have been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.
Procter & Gamble, the corporation that created Dryel, is teaming up with Whirlpool, the world's largest manufacturer of major home appliances, for the purpose of releasing a new product later this year that will seek to capture some of the drycleaning market.
Expected to be released during the fall of 2001, The Personal Valet Clothes Care System is the first new category of home appliance in about 30 years, according to both companies.
Basically, the Valet is a cabinet-sized garment refresher designed by Whirlpool that removes odors and wrinkles from clothing so that consumers can cut down their number of monthly trips to the drycleaners.
The machine will use a chemical developed by Procter & Gamble known as Presiva, a non-toxic, heat-activated formula that was specifically designed for use with the Valet.
The entire process of removing odors and wrinkles from garments will take roughly 30 minutes, depending on which cycle setting is used and what fabrics are being refreshed.
However, the Valet will not remove stains or clean garments.
While the official specifications of the Valet have not been released to the public yet, one prototype of the appliance was measured to be 5 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 1 foot deep. Early prices for the Valet ranged from $649 for one with a white finish to $849 for one with a mirrored finish; however, it remains to be seen how much the public will be expected to pay when the product is released later this year.
Procter & Gamble's Presiva formula is poured into a dispensing cartridge; currently, two types of Presiva formula are selling for $11.99 per bottle (plus shipping and handling) online. The first type is called Crisp and is supposed to be used with cotton dress shirts, linens and cotton blends. The other formula, Soft, is for stretches, denims, knits, polyester, rayons, silks and wools. Garments not recommended for use with the Valet include vinyl, fur and faux fur.
After the formula is added, up to three garments are hung inside the cabinet on one of several specially-designed hangers.
Next, one of three cycles is selected -- HeavyDuty, RegularCare or QuickCare. A fourth cycle -- GentleDry -- is designed to dry garments without high heat or tumbling.
Then, after the start button is pressed, the Valet heat activates the chemical into a mist that moves over the garments, taking anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes to remove wrinkles and odors. The GentleDry cycle will take between 5 and 180 minutes to dry damp clothing.
Originally, Whirlpool came up with the idea to design the Valet after the company completed a study in 1996. When asked what their least favorite household task was, most consumers chose window washing. However, ironing clothes was the second most common choice.
According to an article in The New York Times, Whirlpool's engineers first designed a prototype of the Valet that was essentially a plywood box with a heater and a vaporizer.
"Anyone could do a steam cabinet," Joseph A. Foster, Whirlpool's director for fabric care, told a writer for The Times. "We were looking for breakthrough technologies so we would have sustained competitive advantages." At that point, Whirlpool decided to partner with Procter & Gamble, who would design a formula that would work with their appliance. Since then, Whirlpool has worked with several focus group participants to field-test prototypes of the Valet.
Based on the results of testing, Whirlpool hopes to decrease consumer ironing by 70 percent and eliminate 3 of 4 trips to the cleaners. Whirlpool, who estimates that Americans spend an average of $10 per month on drycleaning, claims that only 20 to 30 percent of the garments taken to drycleaners have stains.
Whirlpool believes that unstained clothing can simply be refreshed by the Valet and plans to sell the appliance at a figure somewhere over $400. However, it remains to be seen whether or not consumers will be willing to spend more on a home-based "clothes care system" than on a washer or dryer. Some people are already skeptical.
IFI CEO Bill Fisher told The New York Times: "I get great results with a $14 travel steamer. My guess is there is not a big market for an appliance like this one."
Currently, Whirlpool has not released any information on the Valet at its corporate web site; however, Procter & Gamble's Presiva formula has its own web site at www.presiva.com. The site offers some more general information on the Valet, as well as some details on Presiva.
The deadline for accepting nominations for the International Fabricare Institute's second annual Meritorious Service Awards and the association's first ever "Best Dressed Drycleaner" contest is coming up. All awards submissions must be sent to IFI by May 30.
The Meritorious Service Awards, which were started in 1999, are designed to honor individuals and companies who have made contributions to the betterment of the drycleaning industry.
The awards are not limited to IFI members and may include individuals from all aspects of the industry -- plant owners, suppliers, educators and others -- provided those potential nominees have illustrated exceptional volunteer efforts.
One winner will be rewarded in each of seven categories which are as follows:
Industry Positive Recognition Award. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding results in securing favorable publicity for the industry. This individual could be someone who, working extensively with the media, has helped the public understand the industry.
Last year's winner was Edward Boorstein, CED, CPD, CPW, owner of Prestige Exceptional Fabricare, in Silver Spring, MD. The committee chose Boorstein for his decades of documentable achievements in this category.
Legislative-Regulatory Award. The winner of this award must be an individual who has actively worked on critical legislative or regulatory issues that concern the industry. Abraham Cho, owner of Natural Cleaners, Middletown, NJ, won in 1999. He was selected for organizing a group of cleaners who traveled from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., advocating the Barton Bill. In addition to presenting a large check in support of the bill, the group also met with Senate and House representatives.
Technology Trailblazer Award. This award honors an individual or firm that has generated innovative research on equipment or solvents that are currently usable and commercially proven. The selection committee picked the Exxon Chemical Company in 1999 for "DF-2000," a solvent which many petroleum drycleaners have utilized successfully. Allied Trades Award. This award honors a supplier or distributor who has provided long-term service in support of member cleaners. The first winner in this category was Ed Ustik of Phenix Supply Company, Atlanta, GA.
Green Fields Award. This award recognizes a person or organization that has made a lasting contribution for an environmental-related issue or initiative.
Ann Hargrove of Lyons, IL, won in 1999 for her work as an advocate of wetcleaning.
Commitment to Professionalism Award. This award honors an individual who has worked hard to raise the cleaning industry's professionalism. In 1999, the selection committee singled out Carmelia Bernardi, Woonsocket, RI, for years of effort in helping to raise the industry's bar for professionalism. Diamond Achievement Award. Designated as the Meritorious Service's top award, this is awarded to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution that has benefited the industry in a unique manner. Barney Deden, Omaha, NE, was recognized in 1999 for his relentless efforts and deep commitment advocating the "Barton Bill." Though Deden is no longer an active plant owner, he has worked constantly to obtain regulatory relief in the industry. IFI's seeks "Best Dressed" IFI is also seeking nominations for its "Best Dressed Drycleaner" contest, which started this year. The association hopes to recognize cleaners who advertise a positive daily image for the industry by dressing professionally.
To expand the contest's scope, IFI will also recognize Allied Trade representatives who exemplify a higher standard of daily attire.
IFI CEO Bill Fisher will personally review all contest submissions and will determine the ten best dressed drycleaners and employees, as well as the ten best dressed individuals from drycleaning and laundry manufacturers, distributors and suppliers.
In the interest of fairness, Fisher may be contacting the peers of each nominee in order to determine what constitutes that individual's typical mode of dress while on the job.
Nominations for IFI's Meritorious Service Awards and "Best Dressed" contests can be found in a current issue of IFI's Fabricare magazine. A picture of each nominee for the "Best Dressed" contests should be included with each submission form.
The "Best Dressed" winners and the recipients of 2000's Meritorious Service Awards will all be honored at this year's Clean Show '01, scheduled for July 19-22 in New Orleans, LA.
For more information about either awards program, contact IFI at (800) 638-2627 or visit the association's web site at www.ifi.org.
A new study to assess whether workers exposed to perchloroethylene have an increased risk of cancer is underway under the sponsorship of the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance.
The study will look at drycleaning workers identified from the 1970 censuses in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, a total of about 7,000 individuals.
We have spent a couple of years trying to find a big enough group of workers to study," explained Steve Risotto of HSIA. It's hard to get data for epidemiological studies, Risotto said, but the Nordic countries, because they have socialized medicine, tend to have better health and employment records to work with than can be found in the United States.
The Nordic countries offer another advantage, too. The use of perc was more pervasive in industry in those nations 30 years ago than in the United States.
For example, the industry was about evenly split between perc and petroleum use in the United States in 1970, while 85 percent of the industry used perc in Finland, 75 percent used perc in Denmark, and 71 percent used perc in Sweden.
One of the problems in studying groups of drycleaning plant workers is knowing which solvents they were actually exposed to. The Nordic data will provide 30 years of medical follow-up and reduces the potential for exposure to other cleaning solvents used before that time.
Information on relative perchloroethylene exposures is expected to be available in this new study, based on surveys of working conditions by health inspectors, trade associations, trade unions and academics, and on data concerning the introduction of new equipment types and regulatory changes.
The study will look at the incidence of seven cancer types, including cancer of the bladder, cervix, esophagus, kidney, liver and pancreas, as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The study will include both record reviews and personal interviews with the individuals or their next of kin.
The interviews will help fill gaps in the information available from other sources and to allow collection of data on potential confounding factors such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and diet and life-style issues. Accounting for these confounding factors has been another of the problems in past studies of cleaning plant workers.
Incidence of various cancers among the group of Nordic drycleaning workers will be compared to an age- and gender-matched population of laundry workers.
Risotto said the work began several months ago and will take 18 to 24 months to complete.
NIOSH study updated Meanwhile, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has updated a previous epidemiological study. Risotto said that little had changed in the update and that he believes NIOSH's conclusions are "overstated." "But it's probably the best study that exists," he said.
Updated statistics through 1996 were analyzed for a group of 1,708 drycleaning workers. Of those, 625 are believed to have been exposed only to perc. The exposures occurred for at least one year before 1960.
In a report by Reuters Health on the update, Avima Ruder of NIOSH said the new analysis shows increased risk of tongue, lung and cervical cancer, pneumonia and reduction of blood flow to hearing in people exposed to perc. That is in addition to earlier findings of increased risk of bladder cancer, urinary stones, esophageal and intestinal cancer.
The updated study concluded that "although important life-style and socioeconomic risk factors exist for both cervical and esophageal cancer mortality, excesses of these sites in the perc-only subcohort and among workers with longer duration of perc exposure suggest an association with perc exposure." The new analysis was published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Ruder told Reuters that the updated study reaffirms NIOSH's recommendation that exposure to perc "be reduced to the lowest feasible limit."
The American Textile Manufactures Institute has announced staff cuts of almost one-third in response to a narrowing of its mission, a downturn in the industry and a ten percent reduction in its dues rate.
Among ATMI offices to be discontinued are public relations, consumer affairs and human resources. Terminations of nine workers announced for March 30 would leave the association with a staff of 19. ATMI will now focus on lobbying the federal government on regulations, legislation and policies affecting domestic mills, particularly on issues of international trade.
The association also plans to give more emphasis to its political action committee and it will continue its work on trying to keep international textile standards from impeding trade as a member of the International Standards Organization.
Carlos Moore, ATMI executive vice president, said the cutbacks are the result of ATMI's expectations that its dues base will continue to decline. Consolidations in the industry, company closings and vertically integrated manufacturers getting out of the textile business to focus on apparel have cut into the association's membership roster.
Dues will be reduced by 10 percent for members as of May 1.
"Everyone knows the industry is going through a very difficult economic times and we felt the dues cut was an appropriate thing to do," Moore told Women's Wear Daily.
Drycleaners should monitor perchloroethylene vapor levels in their plants at least once a year, The Dow Chemical Co. advises, and to assist in that endeavor, Dow offers a free vapor monitoring service to all customers who use DOWPER solvent.
Currently the maximum Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for perchloroethylene as set by OSHA is 100 parts per million. But that is likely to be lowered in the near future. OSHA has been considering a new perc PEL for the past few years and, while no timetable has been set for issuing a new standard, when it comes it is certain to be lower than the current 100 ppm.
The PEL is a time-weighted, eight-hour average exposure. In 1989, OSHA proposed a 25 ppm PEL for perc. That proposal was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1992. Nonetheless, a lower standard has been adopted by some states and the 25 ppm limit has been advocated by both the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Dow's product literature and MSDS for perc also advise a 25 ppm maximum exposure level.
Dow's program provides a free Dosimeter with analysis report. To take advantage of the program, a cleaner should contact his or her distributor of DOWPER solvent. The distributor will provide the cleaner's name and the number of Dosimeter badges needed to Dow's consulting firm. The firm sends the badges with instructions for their use along with a mail-back container.
To use the badge, an employee wears it for a recorded time period. Subsequent analysis of the exposed badge will tell the level of perc vapor exposure for that employee during the period.
The badges are sent back to the consulting firm for analysis. The results are reported to the cleaner; all results remain confidential between the consultant and the cleaner. Dow receives "trend data" from the consultant, but not reports on individual cleaners.
Just as newer generations perc drycleaning machines have reduced the consumption and emissions of perc, so too have they helped in reducing worker exposure. Dow noted that average worker exposure from third, fourth, and fifth generation equipment is typically below 10 ppm, while exposure from first generation equipment averages about 37 ppm, well above the recommended 25 ppm level.
"Regular monitoring is important for the safety of your employees," the company said in the winter edition of its publication, Spot News. "Further, the results of your monitoring can be used to determine the effect of your equipment improvements and your safe work practices." Dow Reminds cleaners that "sniff testing" with the nose is not an accurate tool for determining perc levels in he plant.
The odor threshold for perc can be anywhere between five and 70 parts per million, depending on how sensitive your sense of smell is," Dow said.
Those planning to attend this year's Clean '01 Show in New Orleans, set for July 19-22, are strongly advised to register for the show and reserve hotel rooms as soon as possible. All educational sessions for this year's show are included free of charge with registration. Attendees who register by June 15 pay a $35 fee for registration; those who register after June 15 must pay $60.
Additionally, the Clean '01 housing package gives attendees a total of 23 hotels to choose from, with rates ranging from $79 to $165 a night.
Reservations for all hotels except the Monteleone, which is the IFI's headquarters hotel, must be made through the Clean '01 Housing Bureau to receive the special rates. Numbers for the Clean '01 Housing Bureau are (800) 424-5250 or (international) (847) 940-2153. By fax it is (800) 521-6017 or (international) (847) 940-2386.
To make a reservation at the Monteleone, IFI members should call the hotel directly at (800) 535-8595 or (504) 523-3341. IFI's booking code at the hotel is IF6. The room rate is $120 a night, plus taxes.
This year's educational schedule has been released and programs will focus on everything from business and personnel management to marketing, technology and legislative issues. The topics were tailor-made to fit the results tallied through post-show surveys from previous Clean Shows.
Educational opportunities will be offered by five of the six national associations that jointly sponsor Clean '01, including: the Coin Laundry Association (CLA); the International Fabricare Institute (IFI); the National Association of Institutional Linen Management (NAILM); the Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA); and the Uniform & Textile Service Association (UTSA).
The Clean Show's sixth sponsor -- the Textile Care Allied Trades Association -- represents industry manufacturers and does not offer educational programs since most of its members are exhibitors.
The educational sessions have all been scheduled to take place between 8 and 11 a.m. daily so that attendees will have the maximum time allotted to visit the exhibit floor, which will house over 600 exhibitors.
IFI has set this year's educational focus on meeting today and tomorrow's consumer and drycleaning challenges. In addition to hosting an "Opening Session and Awards Ceremony," IFI will also deliver the following presentations: "Fabricare Solutions for Today's Fashions;" "Straight Talk on Alternatives: Cleaners Ask the Important Questions;" "Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Capturing the Casual Market;" Finding Employees Who Pass More Than the 'Fog the Mirror' Test;" "So You Want to be a Millionaire: How These Cleaners are Making it Happen;" and "Business as Usual Won't Cut It with Today's Consumers." CLA will be helping coin laundry owners deal with everything from high utility costs to increasing profits. A session on "Expert Negotiation Techniques for Coin Laundry Leases" is scheduled, as well as a discussion of "Coin Laundry 101: Basics for Beginners." Other programs by CLA will include: "Calculate the Real Cost of Doing a Wash;" "Preventing Insurance Claims in Your Coin Laundry;" "Reducing Utility Costs in Your Coin Laundry;" "The State of the Coin Laundry Industry;" and "Managing Wash-Dry-Fold for Greater Profits." NAILM will present on a variety of topics, including: "Attitudes, Latitudes and Gratitudes;" "Labor Relations;" "Creating and Justifying a Laundry Budget;" "Creating a Resume and Interview Techniques;" and the association will also present a panel discussion with experts from the industry.
"Keeping Your Plant in Compliance" will be one of five sessions brought to Clean Show attendees by TRSA. Other sessions are: "Profitability by Account Analysis Using ProfitPoint Software;" "The Truck Side of Your Business -- Make Transportation and Delivery Serve You Better;" "Your Issues with Congress, the Federal Government and State Agencies;" and "A Technology Summit for the Textile Service Industry," which will be presented in two parts.
Rounding out the education sessions will be programs by UTSA, including: "Customers as Partners: Building Loyalty and Repeat Business;" "Ergonomics Solutions: In the Plant and On the Route, Meeting OSHA's Demands;" "Exceptional Business Management Strategies;" "Work Tools for Recruitment, Retention & the Internet;" "Emerging Technologies in Customer Service;" and "Handheld Computers: Customer Service in the Palm of Your Hand." Additional information about this year's schedule of educational programs can be found at www.cleanshow.com, Clean '01's official web site. The site also offers detailed information about exhibiting, registering and reserving hotel accommodations.
The show's management company, Riddle & Associates, can be contacted by phone, (404) 876-1998; fax, (404) 876-5121; e-mail, info@cleanshow.com; or mail, Suite 360-C, 1874 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, GA, 30324.
IFI's Clean Show schedule
Friday, July 20Saturday, July 21
- IFI's Opening Session and Awards Ceremony, 8-9:30 a.m.
- IFI CEO William E. Fisher and the IFI board of directors kick off the educational programs with the Meritorious Service Awards and Allied Trades Award presentations. Individuals and organizations who have made substantial contributions to the industry will be recognized.
- Fabricare Solutions for Today's Fashions, 9:45-11 a.m.
- With mannequins and live models IFI will highlight some of the problems with current fashion trends. Tips and solutions for solving problems with contemporary styles, including pleather, spandex blends, and coated fabrics, will be offered at this session.
Sunday, July 22
- Straight Talk on Alternatives: Cleaners Ask the Important Questions, 8-9:30 a.m.
- Deciding which cleaning solutions are best involves many factors. With the emergence of new alternatives, cleaners need to know how to separate the hype from the facts. A panel of cleaners will ask questions about carbon dioxide, petroleum, Rynex, GreenEarth, and wetcleaning, focusing on the realities of these alternatives.
- Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Capturing the Casual Market, 9:45-11 a.m.
- If you are among the cleaners who are losing volume to the popularity of casual wear, come hear ideas of how to reverse this trend.
- Finding Employees Who Pass More Than the "Fog the Mirror Test," 8-8:45 a.m.
- How do you stop turnover, the profit killer, and get good people in a tight labor market? Sid Tuchman of Tuchman Training Systems explains how you can find good people in today's competitive labor market. He will explain how to turn transient employees into loyal team members.
- So You Want to be a Millionaire: Hear How Cleaners Are Making It Happen, 9-10 a.m.
- In the drycleaning industry, there is no substitute for hard work, imagination, and savvy business practices, as this panel of successful drycleaners will attest. These "Survivors" will tell how you can use their techniques..
- Business as Usual Won't Cut It With Today's Consumers, 10:15-11 a.m.
- In a changing world, businesses must adapt to the times or risk losing market share to those who think outside the box. The industry paradigm for the new millennium must shift from the anti-change attitude of "That's how we've always done it" to a more open-minded approach to meeting customer demands. Learn how to incorporate various tools available today to better serve your customers and expand your market.
Spring courses in full swing at IFI
The 2001 schedule of courses continues this spring at the International Fabricare Institute with courses in Drycleaning Processes and Equipment and Stain Removal scheduled for this month.
Drycleaning Processes and Equipment, slated for April 23-24, covers operating perc and petroleum systems; textiles and drycleaning; simplifying classification; improving filtration/distillation; managing solvent, detergent and moisture; learning about drying/vapor recovery; troubleshooting drycleaning machines; and streamlining invoicing and tagging.
The course will be offered again June 11-12; July 30-31; September 10-11; October 1-2; and November 5-6.
The April 25-27 Stain Removal course provides an understanding of textiles and stain removal; organizing stain removal tools and equipment; simplifying stain removal agents; improving stain removal procedures, both basic and advanced; clarifying the use of bleaches; and managing stain removal and specialty fabrics.
The course will be offered again June 13-15; August 1-3; September 12-14; October 3-5; and November 7-9.
The courses are part of a cycle that repeats throughout the year. All courses are presented at IFI headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, and are taught by IFI's instructors.
Other course offerings this spring include Finishing, April 30-May 1.
This course teaches students how to establish quality finishing points; simplify finishing procedures; understand special finishing tools; develop basic finishing techniques for skirts, pants, coats, blouses, dresses; master the finishing of specialty items such as pleats, velvets, pile fabrics; and assembling and effective packaging.
The course will be offered again August 6-7 and October 8-9.
Shirts, a one-day course, will be offered May 2. It covers streamlining invoicing and tagging procedures; simplifying inspection and classification; improving stain removal; devising effective wash formulas; solving shirt problems; and simplifying the finishing of shirts.
The shirts course will be available August 8 and October 10.
Wetcleaning, another one-day course, covers simplifying textiles and wetcleaning; effectively removing stains in wetcleaning; understanding the basics of bleach baths; understanding wetcleaning equipment; efficiently handling special items in wetcleaning; and mastering wetcleaning and finishing techniques.
The course will be offered May 3-4; August 9-10; and October 11-12.
A one-day Wedding Gowns course will be offered May 7. This course provides an understanding of wedding gown fabrics; how to implement efficient inspection procedures; institute cleaning and restoration techniques; master finishing techniques; and effective packaging and marketing tips
The course will be offered August 13 and October 15, also.
Business Practices is a two-day session that covers organizing inventory control; simplifying business analysis; building employee teams; motivating employees; calculating the cost to produce a garment; and streamlining plant layout.
This course will be presented May 8-9; August 14-15; and October 16-17.
Legislation is another of the one-day sessions. Offered May 11, it helps clarify labeling rules; simplifies OSHA and EPA regulations; and provides details on soil and groundwater contamination.
The course will be offered again August 17 and October 19.
Customer Service, coming up on May 11, explains how to understand customers' expectations and attitudes; manage potential cleaning problems; achieve effective customer interaction; and efficiently handle difficult situations.
The course will be offered again August 17 and October 19.
Students who complete all nine courses earn the "General Drycleaning Course Certificate," which indicates knowledge of professional drycleaning standards and practices. Scholarships are available for IFI members.
For more information, call Susan Bale at IFI, (800) 638-2627, ext. 144 or e-mail education@ifi.org.
Just when it seemed that the industry would need to start gearing up to fight its way through another dense fog of federal regulations, the sun broke through and burned off the fog. The sun, in this case, was Congress, and the fog was the ergonomics standard issued last November by OSHA. Once the new Congress got organized, it acted quickly to stop implementation of the ergonomics rules, which would have reached into every nook and cranny of American workplaces.
Experts argued over wide-ranging estimates of how much those rules would have cost U.S. businesses, but there is no denying that had the rules proceeded to go into effect this year, every employer, including the smallest of cleaners, would have spent the next few months scratching their heads trying to understand the confusing new terminology and regulations and, ultimately, reaching into their wallets to pay the cost.
So we have Congress to thank -- or at least those members who voted to stop this regulation -- for sparing us a burden and expense which would have come at a time that is already fraught with difficulties for small businesses trying to stay alive and thrive in a tough, competitive environment.
We also must thank industry leaders, and in particular the International Fabricare Institute, for putting up a strong fight, even when it appeared that the skids were well greased for this new regulation and that it would slide into play, like it or not. Nothing can replace the combination of industry expertise and political acumen which IFI uses in representing the interests of this industry on Capitol Hill. This one action alone probably saved cleaners more than the cost of their association membership dues. We think most members understand the value they get for the dues they pay. As for non-members: Isn't it time to stop eating all those "free lunches?" Surely the freeloaders who reap benefits without paying any of the costs are as much a burden on the industry as any government agency's regulations.
First came the "home drycleaning" kits, which have proved to be a thorn in the side of the industry even though the products often do more harm to garments than good. The leader of the home kit market, Procter & Gamble, originally claimed that their product, Dryel, would not render drycleaning obsolete. Instead, it would simply make consumers' lives easier by decreasing their number of monthly visits to the cleaners.
Drycleaners fully realized the limitations of such kits and how preposterous it is to even use the words "drycleaning" to describe them. Many industry members have responded to the threat by voicing those limitations to their customers while advocating the finer virtues of real drycleaning. Yet, the kits still remain on the market.
Coming this fall, so-called "home drycleaning" will create another media splash with the advent of one more competitive obstacle for the industry -- Whirlpool will be selling its Personal Valet appliance, a "clothes care system" for the home. Is there really even a market for such a machine? After all, it doesn't clean. It doesn't remove any stains. It simply helps to remove odors and wrinkles from clothing. This certainly does not sound like an innovative device, but Whirlpool, who is partnering with Proctor & Gamble on the venture, is planning on charging consumers more for the Personal Valet than they do for their typical washing machines and dryers -- devices which actually clean clothing.
As ridiculous as it seems, "home drycleaning" is not going away. If anything, it is actually growing stronger simply because Whirlpool and Procter & Gamble are taking the campaign up a notch. More and more, they will be banking on their ability to convince consumers to go to the drycleaners less and less.
Like it or not, the battle is only beginning.
Women business owners, especially those who may not have a traditional pension or other retirement plan in place, face an extremely important issue -- securing retirement for themselves and their employees.
Traditionally, women -- both business owners and employees -- show more concern about their financial security in retirement than men do. Merrill Lynch's tenth annual retirement planning report, among others, shows that women, in general, are more concerned about maintaining financial independence in their retirement years.
As a business owner, there is much you can do to help yourself and your employees save for your retirement.
Let's take a look at the need for women to ensure a financially secure retirement and how that goal can be achieved.
A greater need
For many women, the challenge of planning for retirement is compounded by three persistent gender gaps:
The earnings gap. Men generally hold jobs that pay more. Women's earnings equal about 77 percent of men's earnings, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The department's "Current Population Survey, Comparison of Median Annual Earnings for Full-Time Workers (1999)" shows median earnings of $473 a week for women versus $618 for men.
The retirement savings gap. Because women often leave the workforce to assume childcare or eldercare responsibilities, they often receive smaller pensions than men. Many never become fully vested in retirement plans because, on the whole, women change jobs more frequently than men, according to the Social Security Administration.
The life expectancy gap. On average, women can expect to outlive men by seven years, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging.
Ironically, women's longer life expectancy means women may actually need to accumulate more in retirement savings than men, even though they may have a lesser opportunity to do so. That's why personal savings and savings accumulated through employer-sponsored plans are so critical a part of the saving equation for women.
In a recent survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 44 percent of women said they expect a major source of their retirement income will be money they have saved through a retirement plan at work. In addition, 40 percent expect money provided by an employer to be a major source of that income.
Sponsoring a plan
You may not be aware of how convenient and cost-effective it can be to sponsor a retirement plan, or know how doing so can benefit your business. More than 1 million businesses with 100 or fewer employees offer a retirement plan, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and 81 percent of the employees in these businesses choose to participate.
To choose a retirement plan for your company, consider your objectives in establishing a plan, whether it is to attract and retain great people, improve morale among your employees, gain significant tax advantages for your business, or maintain flexibility in making employer contributions to a plan.
In addition, you need to determine which plans you can consider and to evaluate your business's ability to maintain a retirement plan. Factors that influence this evaluation include your company's age, its size and its profit levels and cycles.
Qualified plans
The following are some of the plan options available to businesses today.
Profit-sharing plan. Profit-sharing plans are often preferred by companies with unpredictable cash flow and those that do not want to commit to fixed annual contributions. In this type of plan, contributions may be discretionary and are allocated among participants based on compensation.
Money purchase pension plan. Money purchase pension plans may be appropriate for companies with predictable income that can commit to a mandatory annual contribution.
The employer's contribution is usually based on a specified percentage of each participant's compensation, regardless of the profitability of the company.
Profit-sharing/money purchase combination plan. By combining a profit-sharing plan with a money purchase pension plan, a business can contribute greater amounts in more profitable years, yet still limit its contribution obligation to the money purchase pension plan in more difficult years.
401(k) plan. Generally, a 401 (k) plan is appropriate for companies that want employees to share in funding their own retirement. Participants in this defined-contribution plan contribute a percentage of pre-tax income, reducing their current tax liability. The company can, at is discretion, make profit-sharing contributions or matching contributions.
Defined benefit plan. This type of plan seeks to provide fixed, periodic retirement benefits -- usually for life -- to employees who meet the plan's requirements.
Employer contributions are mandatory and are based on a number of actuarial assumptions, including compensation, age, years of services and life expectancy.
Recent legislation has removed a limitation on defined benefit plans that may mean a greater opportunity for you to put money away for your retirement and to gain tax deductions for your business.
Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan. A SEP plan may be particularly suitable for a business that is new or has variable profits. It is inexpensive to establish and administer. There are generally no Form 5500 reporting requirement, and contributions are 100 percent vested immediately.
Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE). This plan is for employers with 100 or fewer employees who do not maintain a qualified retirement plan. A SIMPLE may be adopted as a SIMPLE Retirement Account (SRA) plan or as part of a 401(k) arrangement. Plan participants make contributions that must be combined with an employer contribution.
Depending on your needs, you can choose employee-benefit plan support services that make retirement plan sponsorship easier, including plan design, recordkeeping services and help with choosing investment options.
Ask for guidance
Time and the right retirement planning strategies will go a long way toward helping women make their retirements more secure. Once you decide to sponsor a retirement plan, your accountant, tax advisor or financial advisor can help weigh their advantages and benefits for your company. With the guidance of your financial advisor, you'll be able to pinpoint the plan that will help you and your employees reach your financial and retirement goals.
Copyright © 2001, National Clothesline