Bob's Blog
Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Training Center
Last Friday I had the pleasure of touring the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Training Center in Philadelphia. Local 19, along with the Sheet Metal Contractors Association of Philadelphia and Vicinity (SMCA) have partnered to train skilled sheet metal apprentices and journeypersons.
The tour was a great opportunity to see, first-hand, the kind of comprehensive training these workers are receiving. I had the opportunity to meet several of the trainees, get an overview of how the training process works and speak with several contractors and employers who utilize these trainees after they have completed all of the necessary requirements. I learned to find out that over 75,000 man-hours are devoted to training each year and that approximately 700 members pass through the training center in that time. Those statistics speak to the necessity of these programs in our educational system. In order for Pennsylvania, and the nation, to maintain a manufacturing base we need an educated workforce that cannot only compete with, but surpass the abilities of cheap labor that gives incentives to outsource jobs.
International Liners Co. in Mt. Braddock
Yesterday, I was in Mt. Braddock PA, where I joined the U.S. Commercial Service (U.S. Department of Commerce) to present the International Liners Co. with the Export Achievement Award. This award is part of the agency’s efforts to recognize small and medium-sized enterprises that have successfully entered the international marketplace. After the award presentation I had the opportunity to tour their facility, seeing their manufacturing process first hand. International Liner manufacturers truck bed liners through a special heat molding process. I was pleased to learn that International Liner buys all of its manufacturing materials in the United States.
International Liner serves as an example of what can be done by a small U.S. company with the right drive and assistance. I hope other businesses in and around western Pennsylvania will follow their lead and will take advantage of the resources available to them through the U.S. Commercial Service.
Tax Exemption for Small Businesses
Small Business owners may not know of the newly-revised payroll tax form, which eligible employers can use to take advantage of the special payroll tax exemption for new workers hired in 2010. This incentive was created as a part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, which I was proud to support. In addition to this provision, the HIRE Act provided for an expansion of the Recovery Act provision that enables small business owners to write-off certain capital expenses. I hope that many Pennsylvanian entrepreneurs will be able to take advantage of the provisions in this legislation to help improve their businesses and drive our economy forward in its recovery.
The payroll tax form has been posted on the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) website where you can find more information on this tax exemption.
In addition, many small business owners have expressed concern about the impact of the upcoming requirement mandating reporting of the value of health insurance coverage on employee’s Form W-2. The IRS confirms that employer-provided health coverage is NOT taxable. The IRS explains on its website that this reporting is for informational purposes, to show employees the value of their health care benefits so they can be more informed consumers. The value of the employer contribution continues to be excludible from an employee’s income and is not taxable. More information on this subject can also be found on the IRS website.
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