Reopening Tour Heads Up North to Talk Industry Issues

Posted November 5, 2021 at 11:48 am




State and local government elections and the recent unveiling of the federal government’s employee-vaccination mandate fueled lively discussions as TRSA staff toured members’ facilities in six Northeastern states on Nov. 1-5. The stops at 13 locations provided ample opportunities for company managers to share their concerns about government initiatives, including how they could comply with the new OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19 shots. They also got up to speed on the latest TRSA activities from TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci.

This segment of the 2021 TRSA Reopening Tour, which earlier in the year included similar legs in the Southeast, Midwest and California, featured a Northeast Town Hall meeting in New York that facilitated networking among 25 executives. That city’s election of a new mayor and council as this meeting took place reflected the need for TRSA to get involved in an ever-changing legislative and regulatory environment to protect members’ bottom lines.

See photo and video coverage of the tour segment and Town Hall on TRSA’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages, as well as more details in next week’s Textile Services Weekly.

New York remains a key concern for the industry as fees aimed at curbing traffic congestion could add $25 per trip to deliver into Manhattan. On the state level, Kathy Hochul, the new governor, has indicated she might support an electric vehicle use mandate. This would align New York with California, where TRSA held a Town Hall during the Reopening Tour segment there in September.

“What I say about New York might sound bad,” said Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president, government relations, “but just be glad you’re not in California.” There, industry operators will be required to build the electric vehicle portion of their fleets from 10% in 2025 to 30% in 2030. TRSA has lobbyists in New York and California as bellwethers for the rest of the country, he noted.

Northeast tour segment stops included:

  • Health Mats, Chester, PA
  • Single Source Plus, Bellmawr, NJ
  • Arway Linen and Uniform, Philadelphia, PA
  • Cooperative Laundry, Kearny, NJ
  • American Wear, East Orange, NJ
  • Bergen Linen, Hackensack, NJ
  • Arrow Linen, Garden City, NY
  • FDR Services, Hempstead, NY
  • Lavatec Laundry Technology, Beacon Falls, CT
  • WW Uniforms, Wallingford, CT
  • Falvey Linen, Springfield, MA
  • Prudential Overall Supply, Manchester, NH
  • Unitex Healthcare Laundry Services, Lawrence, MA
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