Oregon is poised to become one of the first states to explicitly extend consumer privacy protections to data collected by modern vehicles, following the passage of House Bill 3785 by both chambers of the state Legislature and the governor’s signature. The bill, approved unanimously in the Oregon Senate on May 15 and signed by Gov. Tina Kotek on May 27, will require automakers to comply with consumer requests to delete personal data, provide access to that data, and halt the sale or use of the data for targeted advertising.
This spring’s Collision Industry Conference (CIC) the subject of employee mental health was discussed. Andy Tylka, a board member of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), said he appreciated the topic being raised at CIC. Tylka said he learned that “1 in 4 automotive professionals experience mental health conditions, and the suicide rate in the auto industry ranks amongst the highest of any industry.” But he said he’s also learned that “80 percent of workers say mental health support would improve their performance at work,” so he thinks talking to employees about this topic could really help the industry.
The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) is raising concerns about an upcoming I-CAR Board of Directors election and a proposed bylaw change for the training organization. “I-CAR’s governance process is increasingly weighted toward corporate interests, marginalizing independent repairers and industry associations,” SCRS Chairman Michael Bradshaw of K&M Collision said in the association’s open letter to the industry. I-CAR’s bylaws call for four seats for collision repairers, including at least one representative from a single-shop business, one from a multi-shop operation (MSO) with fewer than 200 locations, and one from an MSO with more than 200 locations. The fourth seat for a collision repair representative is undefined. I-CAR, earlier this year, called for nominations for two of these seats. SCRS nominated its executive director, Aaron Schulenburg, for one of those seats, but was notified by I-CAR staff that only individuals from collision repair facilities are eligible for these seats. One of the proposed bylaw changes I-CAR is seeking to get approved in its upcoming vote would add language to codify that the collision repair seats on the board are to be filled by those from a collision repair business. “I-CAR appears to be using the amendment process to legitimize a prior, undocumented decision,” Bradshaw wrote in the open
letter. The two collision repair nominees on the upcoming ballot for the open seats on the I-CAR board both represent MSOs: Caliber Collision and Crash Champions. “I-CAR has not only leaned further into MSO representation, with an absence of any intended balance, but has created barriers to qualified, independent voices capable of representing the market majority,” Bradshaw wrote.
