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Semper Print Industry Workforce Solutions – Fall 2021 Survey Results

Semper Workforce Solutions routinely conducts surveys within their jobseeker database to stay on top of what workers need in the printing and packaging industries. In their latest installment, the take the temperature of the print industry workforce in the following categories: large sheetfed, web press, digital press, and bindery. The insights below give a unique

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The Pandemic, Paper Shortages, and the Supply Chain

As if the sickness and death associated with the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t enough, all industries including the printing industry is now experiencing a paper shortage. At least in part, the cause of this paper shortage can be traced back to the pandemic and issues related to staffing, shipping, and the demand for source paper materials.

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What’s New for Open Enrollment 2021-2022

What’s New for Open Enrollment 2022 Despite the tumultuous health care environment amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is some good news in health plan offerings. Premium increases are holding steady and there are many plans available in the Northern California marketing. Below is summary of what you should know for the 2022 plan year

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Train Your Driving Staff for Rainy, Slippery Conditions

When it’s the rainy time of year, companies with staff that need to drive, delivery drivers or those making sales calls, and all in-beteen need to double down on road safety.   A good idea is to hold a training session on “Driving in the Rain”. While it may seem redundant, it’s an important exercise to reinforce the importance

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The Key to Making More Money

Good morning! Imagine this scenario: You are one of five sales reps sitting in a conference room, each representing a different company. A customer walks in and hands each of you a large envelope containing a printed sample of an existing document they currently purchase. With it is a cover letter containing the specifications. After

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Ready to Raise Your Rates? Here’s How

As our economy reopens, we are seeing many examples of price increases coming from supply not catching up with growing demand. While there does not seem to be a printing shortage, this external reality points to an opportunity to edge prices upward. Why not consider adjusting your estimating software to add 1 or 2 percent

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ThinkHR Renamed to Mineral

ThinkHR, VMA’s trusted partner for delivering HR and compliance solutions to our members has relaunched their brand under the name Mineral. Here are a few things you need to know: Everything about your ThinkHR platform and services will remain exactly the same – same name, features, services, and login. Informational emails from Mineral will start

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Dear David: Can we still require that employees wear masks?

Question: Can we still require that employees wear masks? Answer: You can, yes. While the CDC has announced that those who are vaccinated against COVID-19 may go without a mask in most places, private employers still have the right to enforce mask-wearing policies in their own workplaces, regardless of employees’ or customers’ vaccination status. State

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New Directions: Best Time in Twenty Year to Sell Your Business

After a COVID-related slow down, the Merges & Acquisition (M&A) market is returning to record 2019 levels. The industry is recovering, buyers are flexible, and the fundamental forces that drive M&A activity are still in play. With a return to normal business conditions in sight, we are already seeing a pickup in activity for mergers

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Legislative Updates

VMA has a long history advocating for its membership in the California legislature as well as Congress. Currently, we split the legislative job between two people, RJ Cervantes, our lobbyist in Sacramento, and Gerry Bonetto, our regulatory affairs expert. RJ is a traditional lobbyist; he meets with state legislators and attends committee meetings daily. We

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