New Jersey Firms Get Ready for H1N1

Facility workers are wiping down door handles and elevator buttons at the offices of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

PSEG has handed out flu medicine to its employees and their family members, and has stockpiled ready-to-eat meals for in-office employees and personal protective equipment for workers who work outside company offices.

Hand sanitizers are all over the building at Global Crossing headquarters in Florham Park.

The flu season is here. And this year, companies are taking extra steps to prevent an outbreak of H1N1, known to some as swine flu. In case prevention doesn’t work, they are preparing for the possibility of widespread employee absences. A report delivered to the White House last month suggested H1N1 could infect half the U.S. population, more than double the number that occurs in an average flue season.

“The big companies have in-house experts that handle business continuity issues, but many small and mid-size companies haven’t given thought to what they would do in case of high absentee rates,” said Matt Conlon, vice president of market development at Cantel Medical Corp., a Little Falls-based provider of infection prevention and control products. “There is a lot companies can do.”

Though H1N1 is not as dangerous as experts initially feared, it is easily transmittable, making it a serious concern.

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a seminar at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe on Sept. 30 that is designed to advise business operators how to plan for and weather a flu outbreak.

“A lot of companies call me and say, ‘Can you give me a template for a pandemic preparedness plan?’” Conlon said. “I don’t do that because every company is very different. They need to ask what’s right for their organizations. At the seminar, we’ll cover every aspect of the physical threats and the threat to business.”

To read full State Chamber story on H1N1 and tips for your business, click here.

NJ Chamber Survey: 54% of Firms had Layoffs

NJ Chamber survey results: 54 percent of companies had layoffs; 49 percent pay freezes and 30 percent reduced hours to weather the recession. The 107 respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer. Eight percent of the respondents reported their firms were doing well and did not need to cut back.

See story on njbiz.com by clicking here.

State Schools Chief Has Breakfast With Chamber

155 of the state's 1,500 public schools are more than 100 years old, said Kris Kolluri, CEO of the NJ Schools Development Authority, at a breakfast with Chamber members this morning.

Over the next 3 years, the SDA will build 52 schools and repair others as part of its $3.9 billion program -- the largest state-funded school initiative in the nation.

"It's an investment in our children; Your future employees," he said.

NJ Chamber 'Among Most Vocal' On Health Care Reform

On health care reform, NJBIZ newspaper today reports:

"The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has been among the most vocal,
co-founding a national organization, Employers for Quality Health Care, intended
to make sure that state employers’ voices are heard on the issue."

For whole story, click here.

The Great Recession is Approaching Two Years Old

It's approaching two years since the Great Recession began. What steps has your company taken to weather the storm. Take the NJ Chamber Survey by clicking here.

Chamber Responds to Obama's Address On Health Care Overhaul

“The President was eloquent and persuasive about the reforms most of
us agree are necessary. But he was disappointingly silent or vague on those key
issues where details really matter."

-- Jeff Scheininger, Chairman of the Chamber’s Health Initiative.

For Chamber's full response, click here.

NYT: New Jersey Nabs 1,600 Financial Jobs From Lower Manhattan

The New York Times today is reporting that an incentive package offered by New Jersey has convinced Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation to move 1,600 jobs to Jersey City in 2012, but the company will keep its headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

The article reads:

New York is still vulnerable to New Jersey, which offers generous
incentives and where real estate costs are already lower. In February, New
Jersey’s development authority offered Depository Trust a package worth
$74.6 million over 10 years if it moved 1,600 employees to Jersey City when
its Manhattan lease expires in 2012.

For full article, click here

Health Spending Is 17% of GDP, And Growing

"Health-related spending accounts for 17 percent of the nation's gross
domestic product, and it's rising rapidly. If we don't get costs under control, the stress on our economy may be insurmountable."

-- Joan Verplanck, president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, in today's Star-Ledger.

See Verplanck's quotes in today's Star-Ledger and Record.

New Jersey Chamber Co-Founder of National Health Care Reform Coalition

Business groups from 20 states band together to support meaningful reform

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has joined 19 other statewide chambers and employer organizations in an unprecedented alliance that will unify their efforts in the federal health care reform debate. The alliance was launched today.

The group, Employers for Quality Health Care, is an independent coalition that is bringing a unique perspective to the table alongside national business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

The members of the coalition – representing thousands of employers who voluntarily provide coverage for millions of workers and their families – outlined their priorities and suggestions for reform in a letter to President Obama and members of Congress. A copy of the letter can be found here.

“Health-related spending accounts for 17 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, and it’s rising rapidly,” said Joan Verplanck, president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. “If we don’t get costs under control, the stress on our economy may be insurmountable. Reform is in everyone’s interest, but it must be done smart and it must be done right.”