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INDUSTRY NEWS ICCFA Alarmed at Congressional Proposal to End Employee "Secret Ballot" Vote in Labor Union Elections Last week, ICCFA represented the cemetery and funeral service profession at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss the proposed "Employee Free Choice Act." Despite its name, the legislation would end employees' right to vote by secret ballot in deciding whether or not to unionize. The proposal has the widespread support of Congressional Democrats, the new majority party in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has apparently promised union leaders quick action on the legislation early this year. The bill also requires mandatory arbitration if the employer and the union do not agree on terms of a first collective bargaining agreement after 90 days of negotiations. In other words, the terms of the contract could ultimately be set by a government arbitrator even if the employer and the union do not agree on them. The proposal would also impose significant penalties on employers, including treble damages per violation, for alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act. For more information, contact ICCFA general counsel Bob Fells at rfells@iccfa.com or call 1.800.645.7700. An advance copy of the Washington Report column in the February 2007 issue of the ICCFA Magazine can be viewed at www.iccfa.com/washrpt2.07.htm .. ICCFA NEWS Sell More With the ICCFA Take-Home Binder! It is not too late to register for the Wide World of Sales Conference, January 17-19, 2007, at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, Nevada. Visit www.iccfa.com/sales07.htm to download a registration form, or call 1.800.645.7700. "Finding Hidden Treasure" will provide attendees with valuable pirate booty, including a take-home binder filled with speaker handouts and supplementary materials. This is an excellent reference tool to reinforce the conference sessions and to allow attendees to put what they've learned to use back at their business locations. This year's binders, available in both English and Spanish, feature a wide range of sales topics including: Prospecting
Presentations
Increasing Revenue
Network, Learn, Discover...at ICCFA's Convention & Exposition Join your colleagues for the ICCFA's 2007 Convention & Exposition, March 20-23, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Expanding Your Horizons" offers the most extensive selection of educational sessions available in the profession, an Expo Hall filled with 200+ booths, and exciting networking opportunities. Whether you are new to the profession or a seasoned veteran, ICCFA's Convention & Exposition will give you the opportunity to:
Product of the Month: "How To Sell Cemetery Property Before Need" Back by popular demand, the ICCFA will again feature a "Product of the Month" throughout 2007 to provide exceptional savings on our extensive list of training and presentation tools. This month's Product of the Month is the 5th edition of "How to Sell Cemetery Property Before Need," by Harold Brown. For the month of January only, you can purchase this book for only $21 (plus shipping and handling)! The price is normally $30.50 for ICCFA members and $40.50 for non-members. To place an order, call the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700. Published in 1996, this textbook-style publication presents a mixture of sound advice and practical wisdom, as preneed pioneer Harold Brown reviews the basics of successful selling and offers inspiration for the salesperson to redouble his or her efforts to attain ever-higher sales figures. Each chapter of the book covers each step of the selling process in detail. At the end of each chapter, readers are asked to answer informative and sometimes soul-searching review questions. This offer expires on January 31, 2007. Call the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700 to place an order! Avoid the Fines: Register Now for 2007 Music License! Reminder: All 2006 Music Licenses have expired! Your business is required by law to be licensed where music is performed, either live, played by recording or by the receipt of radio transmissions. Failure to obtain a license where one is required can be costly: Copyright law provides for damages similar to fines of up to $30,000 for each song that is infringed. The 2007 Music Licenses are available to purchase online at http://www.icfa.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RGMUS .. If you have not already bought or renewed your license, you may do so by visiting the Web Site or calling the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700. The Music License Membership fee covers music licensing with all three licensing agencies: BMI, ASCAP & SESAC, for the calendar year 2007. The price is $232, with no added fees. CLASSIFIED ADS Caring Cemetery Counselors Needed Our Catholic cemetery organization located in Baltimore, MD is looking for Family Service/Pre-need Sales Counselors. Successful candidates will enjoy direct selling; have a proven track record in sales and excellent communication skills, as well as be highly motivated, well organized, and detail oriented. 3-5 years sales experience required, preferably in cemetery sales, but we will train. These positions are commissioned with a draw and benefits are available. Send resume to Director of Operations, 7401 German Hill Road, Baltimore, MD 21222 or email tjdiciurcio@redemcem.org. Exciting Sales Opportunities! StoneMor, a leader in the industry, has exciting opportunities for Sales Professionals at many locations. We boast one of the highest commission rates in the industry and our Sales Managers enjoy triple override bonuses on all location sales after hitting performance goals. We have excellent benefits including:
EOE For more information, please call 877-857-8890 and refer to this ad or send your resume via fax at 215-826-2929 or email it to jobs@stonemor.com. www.stonemor.com Grow Your Business with FuneralHomes.com FuneralHomes.com—the Funeral Director's Resource for Effective Customer Acquisition. We connect At-need and Pre-planning consumers with Funeral Homes in their area, you are missing out on business! Position your Funeral Home at the top—Call us at 1.800.208.2580 to start receiving business today. www.FuneralHomes.com. New Opportunities Await You! People preplan for many reasons. Chief among them is peace of mind. Now you can offer your families additional peace of mind through the Omega Assured Return Plan, a service option offered through Inman Shipping Worldwide. Inman Shipping Worldwide has been the recognized leader in the deathcare industry for the repatriation of human remains, from anywhere in the world, for over 30 years. With society traveling more and more today for business, vacations and even health care in distant cities, death away from home is becoming more common. When death occurs 100 miles or more away from an individual's legal residence, all the necessary services for returning the deceased to their home are covered for those enrolled in the Omega Assured Return Plan. The Omega Assured Return Plan is the logical companion for cemetery, funeral and cremation prearrangements. An ideal supplemental product, the Omega Assured Return Plan provides another opportunity to maintain contact with your client families. A simple enrollment form and onetime payment will provide a lifetime of coverage for this valuable service. Expand your selling portfolio and earn generous commissions. No license is required. To find out how you or your company can offer the Omega Assured Return Plan, call our toll free number at 1-888-889-8508 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM Eastern time Monday through Friday or send an email to omegareturninfo@yahoo.com. Reach Thousands of Cemeteries and Funeral Homes With Your Classified Ad!
And more .... For a limited time, ICCFA members can purchase the McQuaig Job Survey, the McQuaig Word Survey and the McQuaig Self-Development Survey for just $100 per assessment, a savings of up to 50 percent off the regular price. The member discount offer expires June 30, 2007. Companies assessing more than 100 candidates per year are eligible for additional discounts. For additional information, visit http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig2.pdf and http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig.pdf. For questions and to sign up for the program, contact Michael Gravelle at The McQuaig Institute at 1.800.387.5455, ext. 361, or mgravelle@mcquaig.com. Join today! The 2007 Music Licenses are available for just $232, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Join today! The ICCFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICCFA resources and training products online. Some products are available for immediate direct download, including the newly released Wirthlin Report on consumer attitudes and article packages on cremation, cemetery and funeral home valuations and trust funds. The ICCFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICCFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why. The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICCFA members an easy, free way to share questions and answers to everyday on-the-job challenges. Recent discussions have examined issues such as working with the Muslim community, distance between burial sites, direct mail marketing, the growing popularity of geocaching at cemeteries, recruiting staff and more. Ideal for smaller companies with smaller budgets. Join today! The ICCFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICCFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today! Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICCFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICCFA via an exclusive retainer agreement. ICCFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICCFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C., for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600. The ICCFA and Applied Merchant Systems of Chicago, Illinois, currently offer members a Credit Card Processing Program with a special low discount rate of 1.75 percent, with no per transaction processing fee. This new benefit makes it less expensive for cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers and related businesses to accommodate customers who wish to pay via credit card. For more information, call 1-800-675-6573. The ICCFA Insurance Program, administered by Alliant Insurance Services, allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance -- including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more -- at rates they probably would not be able to afford on their own. To advertise in the ICCFA Wireless: The ICCFA accepts limited advertising in the ICCFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICCFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Nichole Causey at ncausey@iccfa.com or 1.800.645.7700. To unsubscribe from the ICCFA Wireless: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to: wireless@icfa.org. Please include your name and company name in the body of the e-mail. International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100 Sterling, VA 20164 1.800.645.7700 703.391.8400 Fax: 703.391.8416 www.iccfa.com Copyright 2007 International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association. |
