Collision Repair Association of California: Working Hard for Body Shop Rights

Given the sheer number of auto body repair shops in the state of California, it is no surprise that several industry groups have been created in order to help represent these businesses both economically and politically. One of the most prominent of these organizations is the Collision Repair Association of California, also known as the CRA. The group was originally formed by five prominent members of the California collision repair industry, and over the years it has played a key role in shaping legislation and standards across the state.

Collision repair schools do their best to prepare their students for the working world, but organizations like the CRA help to actually shape the workplace so that it provides the most favorable possible conditions for workers. This includes protecting the wages and earnings of repair shop workers by shielding them from specific legislation that would allow insurance companies more power in dictating the rates they are willing to pay for collision repair. They also help repair shops to maintain a high standard of work by allowing them to use good quality replacement components instead of the absolute cheapest parts available on the market, preserving their freedom of choice when running their businesses.

The Collision Repair Association of California’s board consists of five major players in the state’s auto body repair industry. The most experienced is Kim Andreatta, who has been involved in collision repair through his family business for 37 years and has owned his own shop for a decade. John Tyczki has been working in the business for nearly as long and has had the chance to experience auto body work from almost every position – worker, manager, and owner. Nathan Simmons, Lee Amaradio Jr, and Jim Boyle each boast impressive resumes and deep roots in California’s body shop community, which helps to make them uniquely qualified as guardians of the industry.

The CRA also protects the rights of drivers when it comes to being able to choose their own preferred collision repair shop as opposed to that which is dictated to them by their insurance company. Car accidents are traumatic to everyone involved, and having to deal with total strangers in order to process an insurance claim can be a very stressful experience. The Collision Repair Association of California fights to ensure that drivers can greet a friendly and familiar face when getting their car repaired, and it also helps them save money by offering them the choice of repair facilities which provide a wider range of cost estimates for a specific job.

While they may not have a hand in regulating collision repair schools, the CRA can be thought of as a sort of union for body shop workers. They are a group that is willing to voice the concerns of workers and business owners and provide a level playing field for everyone who earns their living working with steel, plastic, and paint. The insurance lobby is a powerful force at the legislative level, and without the CRA it would be difficult for small business owners to have a voice in their home state.