Taking a cue from the Internet, we thought it might be convenient for GAA members and potential members to be able to get answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" in written form.

Question: If we’re working together to carry out GAA’s mission, what is that mission?
Answer: The mission of the Graphic Arts Association is to continually enhance the growth and profitability of member companies and of the graphic arts industry in our region.

Question: Our parent company belongs to PIA in another location. Why should we have to join?
Answer: Membership is by plant, through the local affiliate, and your parent company is paying only the dues that cover their location, not dues to cover your facility. If the Bob’s Quick Printing and Bagel Shop franchise and headquarters in San Diego belongs to the local affiliate and PIA, their dues do not cover membership and services for a hundred other BQPB Shops around the country. Your dues to GAA support both the local lobbying effort to protect your profitability at the state level, and the provision of local services and benefits, as well as your facility’s share of supporting PIA’s and GATF’s efforts on your behalf.

Question: How are dues determined?
Answer:   Each affiliate sets it’s own dues structure, based on a company’s size and the needs of the local organization to carry out the activities and provide the services determined necessary by the affiliate Board of Directors, elected by the local members. GAA dues are based on formulas for both sales and production payroll, using the lesser amount. Minimum GAA dues are $375 per year. Maximum GAA dues are $7,000 per year. A percentage of each local affiliate’s dues are paid to PIA and GATF as determined by the national Board of Directors. Since PIA and GATF have other sources of income, a significant majority of the dues paid by members stays at the local level to support local programs.

Question: Isn’t that a lot of money for membership?
Answer: Not if you think of dues in terms of labor costs. By joining with other graphic arts companies in our region, you can put all the GAA/PIA/GATF employees to work for your company, and make dozens of experts in every facet of your business as close as a phone call. And all for less money than you’d pay a high school kid to sweep the floor part-time. And without paying for benefits. Think of GAA/PIA/GATF as your most-knowledgeable, least-expensive employee.

Question: The long list of benefits and services provided by GAA/PIA/GATF is impressive, but in reviewing it I wouldn’t use most of what’s available. Why should I pay full dues for things I wouldn’t use?
Answer: No member company uses most—or even a large portion—of what’s available. GAA, PIA and GATF must have services, products and benefits available for a wide range of companies, varying from one to tens of thousands of employees, and with a great difference in needs. GAA, for example, may select a business partner to offer a discounted service to members that only five or ten members can take advantage of. This is worth doing if the association doesn’t have maintenance costs, because it provides a benefit to at least a few members. Even if you don’t use that service, the next time it might be your company that benefits. Plus these discounts are established and available if you ever do need them.

Question: My company pays dues, but then there’s a charge for individual services like educational seminars or collections. Why?
Answer: The association loses money on every activity—none are "profit-makers" if overhead is figured in. GAA, like almost every trade association, uses dues to cover industry-wide activities like lobbying and workforce development, and to cover general overhead. Individual direct services carry a charge to cover the direct costs. For example, the price for a seminar will cover costs such as the speaker’s expenses, meals, room rental, materials and mailing, but not the allocated staff time or overhead. That’s why non-members pay a 50% premium for seminars (we’d charge even more, but we want them to attend so we can twist their arm about joining!) Things that appear to be association "profit-centers" are really losers when indirect expenses are allocated to them.

Question: Do any of our dues go to politicians?
Answer: No. GAA and PIA are corporations, which are prohibited by law from making political contributions. At the national level, candidates for Congress who support the goals of the printing industry may receive contributions from PrintPAC, the printing industry’s political action committee. Contributions to PrintPAC must be personal, from individuals, not corporations. I personally contribute $100 per year to PrintPAC, but that doesn’t come from GAA, but from my salary, and isn’t even tax-deductible. Printers are always encouraged to make individual, personal contributions to pro-business candidates for both their state legislature and the U.S. Congress.

Question: If we have PIA and GAA to lobby for us, why are you always bothering me to write to my Congressman or state legislator?
Answer: An association can monitor proposed bills and regulations, develop strategies, form alliances and present the industry’s arguments on important issues. This works, and is especially effective with agency lobbying, where merit has the most weight. With political/legislative lobbying, you are most effective if you have good arguments for your position, and muscle—votes and money—at the local level. You are more interested in hearing what your customer thinks about your work than what some expert in Washington thinks. Likewise, as a constituent, your opinion carries much more weight with your legislator than the opinions of a "hired gun" lobbyist. The opinions of political contributors and campaign workers carry the most weight of all. Your associations are pretty effective in the lobbying business, because you have good staff at the national and regional level, and a small corps of dedicated volunteers. But an industry this size should be ten times more powerful—and would be if more printers were politically involved. The lack of political involvement by a majority of printers adversely affects the industry’s profitability.

Question: My company pays dues to support lobbying, and I get personally involved. But don’t non-member companies benefit from our efforts as much as we do? Is that fair?
Answer: Just as some employees in a large company are hard workers and others are featherbedders willing to coast, we will always have those in the industry who are willing to freeload on the efforts and contributions of you and other active members. That’s just a fact of human existence. I can’t be like that, and I hope you can’t either. It just means those of us who are fighting for our industry have to do more than our share.

Question: Lobbying is fine, but I’m struggling to stay above water. How does the association help with that?
Answer: We believe that most companies who belong—and really use the association—recoup their dues many times over. But it’s like buying an exercise bike. The investment does nothing unless and until you use it. Review the benefits list frequently. Talk to the GAA business partners. Be active—much of the benefit comes from networking and information. Attend association functions, and send your employees. Serving on the Board of Directors or an association committee is a service to your industry—but it also puts you in a higher information loop. A large part of what your association does is to help you avoid losses. If GAA’s attorney gives you HR advice that prevents a lawsuit, if GATF gives you technical advice that saves re-running a job, if PIA’s management conference teaches you a more cost-effective way of doing business, or if GAA’s credit services prevents you losing $20k or $50k to a non-paying "customer," it won’t show up on your bottom line at the end of the year. It only shows up if you aren’t a member, or don’t use the services, and take the loss. Unfortunately, every day graphic arts companies are taking losses that could have been prevented by their association, if only they had belonged and used what was available.

Question: How do I get help or find out what’s available.
Answer: Call Melissa Jones at (215) 396-2300.

Question: Okay, my company belongs to GAA/PIA/GATF, and we’re active in the association. What else can we do to help?
Answer: Two things are key. Talk to colleagues in other companies about their responsibility to join you in supporting our industry through GAA/PIA/GATF membership. The stronger your association is, the more effectively it can work for you. And get involved in politics by building relationships with your state and federal legislators. It’s easy, and can take as much or as little time and/or money as you can afford to devote. Government is the one business partner that can break you with a single bad decision. We simply have to be involved. Call Marge Baumhauer as (215) 396-2300.

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