New Hampshire defeats Massachusetts to take 2014 National LifeSmarts Championship title – National Consumers League

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April 29, 2014 

Contact: Carol McKay, (724) 799-5392, carolm@nclnet.org

Orlando, FL—The student team from New Hampshire, Mascoma Valley Regional High School, coached by Shawn Joyce, was crowned national LifeSmarts champions in Orlando on Tuesday, April 29. In the final match against the second-place team from Milton High School of Massachusetts, the teens from New Hampshire outplayed their opponents in an exciting end to the 4-day competition.

Teams from Jacksonville, Florida, and Barrington, Rhode Island placed third.

“We are so proud of these students from New Hampshire, who represented their state program with class and pride,” said LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “They played hard and demonstrated their consumer smarts throughout the four-day event. They are true LifeSmarts champions.”

LifeSmarts is a program run by the Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization. It competitively tests high school students’ knowledge of consumer awareness, with subjects including personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights and responsibility, technology, and the environment. LifeSmarts is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in partnership programs with student leadership programs FBLA and FCCLA.

Teens from each of the 34 state champion teams represented at nationals competed as individuals, and the top five scorers received $500 scholarships from NCL. This year’s winners were:

  • Environment: Amber Habib, PA
  • Personal Finance: Decklan Cerza, PA
  • Health and Safety: Alexander Garant, MI
  • Consumer Rights and Responsibilities: Matthew Lamontagne, RI
  • Technology: David Burns, FL

Cerza, from Pennsylvania’s Dallas High School, was named the 2014 Student of the Year. Gayle Murdock, from Friona High School in Texas, was named LifeSmarts Coach of the Year. Long-time State Coordinator Merliee Thoenen earned the Coordinator of the Year honor.

“NCL’s LifeSmarts program is allowing us to rear a generation of consumer-savvy teenagers who often outsmart their parents on issues related to avoiding fraud, credit and debt, and complicated healthcare decisions,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. In the 20 years that LifeSmarts has been educating high school and middle school teens on consumer issues, it has grown dramatically, with more than 3 million consumer questions answered at www.lifesmarts.org in the online competition during the 2013-2014 20th anniversary program year.

For team photos, event schedules, grid standings, and more, log on to www.facebook.com/LifeSmarts

All winners at the national LifeSmarts Competition received valuable prizes donated by sponsors to the National Consumers League, including scholarships, savings bonds, gift cards, and more. To learn more about the program, contact NCL’s Lisa Hertzberg at 202-835-3323.

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About LifeSmarts and the National Consumers League

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org , or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323. The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Final Four determined at annual national consumer literacy championship in Orlando – National Consumers League

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April 28, 2014

Contact: Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (724) 799-5392

Orlando, FL–The final four state champion teams that are headed to the final day of competition at the 2014 National LifeSmarts Championship, happening in Orlando this week, have been determined! They are:

New Hampshire: Mascoma Valley Regional High School, Coach Shawn Joyce
Massachusetts: Milton High School, Coach Nancy Mikels
Florida: Paxon School, Coach Kathie Loggie
Rhode Island: Barrington High School, Coach Karen Proule

In celebration of April’s Financial Literacy Month, the National Consumers League (NCL) is hosting the 20th annual LifeSmarts Championship event at Orlando’s Walt Disney World. LifeSmarts (www.lifesmarts.org) educates teens and tweens on real-world financial and consumer literacy issues. The National Consumers League will crown the 2014 national champion team on Tuesday, April 29 at 12 noon EDT. The defending champion team from Jacksonville, Florida, will face off against Massachusetts in the first match of the morning. Rhode Island and New Hampshire will compete in the second semi-final. 

LifeSmarts is a competitive educational program, in which teams of students begin competition online. Top-scorers progress to state competitions, and state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. This year’s lineup of state champion teams come from as far as Honolulu, Hawaii and as near as the Florida team from Jacksonville. For a complete list of state champions, visit www.lifesmarts.org.

The 2014 National LifeSmarts Champion and other winning teams will walk away with prizes and scholarships. In addition to placing as a team, individual students have the opportunity to compete for scholarships for demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams and top five individuals are recognized. NCL thanks the sponsors who make the program possible, including Visa, UL, Western Union, Experian, Google, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Comcast, and Microsoft.

Consumer-savvy teens representing 34 states have competed at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2013-2014 program year, more than 15,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2014 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

“We are so proud of this year’s state LifeSmarts champions, who have proven themselves to be the best and the brightest of the next generation of consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “LifeSmarts is fun and fast, and the perfect vehicle for educating young consumers. Our program goes in-depth on the issues kids—and adults—are facing now: making smart choices with financial resources, health care, environmental concerns, and how technology affects our lives.”

Watch this year’s final and semi-final matches live at www.lifesmarts.org!

Live from Orlando tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29

9 am – Massachusetts vs. Florida
9:45 am – Rhode Island vs. New Hampshire

The final match will begin immediately following the second semi-final match.

Follow the conversation on Twitter at #LifeSmarts

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email   lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

Orlando to host 20th anniversary National LifeSmarts Championship, April 26-29 – National Consumers League

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April 24, 2014

Contact: Carol McKay, (724) 799-5392,  carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC — In celebration of April’s Financial Literacy Month, the National Consumers League (NCL) has announced the nearly three dozen state champion teams that have earned a spot at the 2014 National LifeSmarts Championship, which will take place starting later this week in Orlando’s Walt Disney World, April 26 – 29. LifeSmarts (www.lifesmarts.org) is NCL’s program, celebrating its 20th anniversary season this year, that educates teens and tweens on real-world financial and consumer literacy issues. The National Consumers League will crown the 2014 national champion team on Tuesday, April 29 at 12 noon EDT.

Complete state champ list here

LifeSmarts is a competitive educational program, in which teams of students begin online. Top-scorers progress to state competitions, and state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. This year’s lineup of state champion teams come from as far as Honolulu, Hawaii and as near as the Florida team from Jacksonville, which returns to defend its title as last year’s national champs. For a complete list of state champions, visit www.lifesmarts.org.

“We are so proud of this year’s state LifeSmarts champions, who have proven themselves to be the best and the brightest of the next generation of consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “LifeSmarts is fun and fast, and the perfect vehicle for educating young consumers. Our program goes in-depth on the issues kids—and adults—are facing now: making smart choices with financial resources, health care, environmental concerns, and how technology affects our lives.”

The 2014 National LifeSmarts Champion and other winning teams will walk away with prizes and scholarships. In addition to placing as a team, individual students have the opportunity to compete for scholarships for demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams and top five individuals are recognized. NCL thanks the sponsors who make the program possible, including Visa, UL, Western Union, Experian, Google, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Comcast, and Microsoft.

Consumer-savvy teens representing 34 states will compete at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2013-2014 program year, more than 15,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2014 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

When:  April 26 – April 29, 2014
Where:  Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, 1000 W Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Final and semi-final matches begin:  Tuesday, April 29, 9 a.m. EDT
Awards Ceremony: 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EDT

Follow the competition online

Parents and teachers can follow the action at Facebook.com/LifeSmarts and via Twitter: #LifeSmarts

The semi-final and final competition matches will be streamed live at www.lifesmarts.org:

Tuesday, April 29, 2013
Semi-finals – 9 am EDT
Finals – 10:45 am EDT

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email  lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

LifeSmarts celebrates its 20th anniversary at the national championship in Orlando, Florida – National Consumers League

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2Students across the country will travel to Orlando, Florida this weekend for the National LifeSmarts Championship. This tournament marks the 20th anniversary for the program, which arms high school students around the country with the knowledge needed to be savvy consumers and responsible adults. The tournament begins on Saturday and will culminate on Tuesday (4/29) with a live broadcast at LifeSmarts.org of the semi-finals and finals.

Teams representing states around the country, the District of Columbia, and student organizations FCCLA and FBLA will compete for LifeSmarts glory.

These teams began competition online with the top scoring teams participating in live state competitions. Those winners punched their tickets to Orlando and earned an opportunity to be crowned the 2014 National LifeSmarts Champions. Follow the action on our Nationals Scoreboard housed on LifeSmarts’ Facebook page. We will be updating the scoreboard in live time. Follow your state’s team to track their success. You can also follow the action on Twitter using #LifeSmarts. This year marks the second-annual LifeSmarts Twitter contest. Top tweeters throughout the national championship tournament will win prizes.

Flying high, the airlines look to push anti-consumer legislation through Congress – National Consumers League

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Republished with permission from Flyersrights.org. The airlines are at it yet again. Those deceptive and infuriating ads that were banned years ago are sneaking back.

Making its way thorough the U.S. House, without public submissions or any debate, is a bill called H.R. 4156, deceptively named the “Transparent Airfares Act of 2014”. Translation: the “Keep Air Travelers in the Dark Act”.

Written by airline lobbyists, this bill is completely anti-consumer while at the same time denigrating customers and constituents alike. It is all about makingairfares less transparent. The name of the bill is just the start of the false advertising.

It is a thoroughly corrupt racket being perpetrated against the very taxpayers that have repeatedly bailed out the airlines time after time.

How would a proposed ‘Transparent’ Law mislead consumers? It seeks to overturn and reverse our hard-fought 2012 Department of Transportation ruling that requires the airlines to prominently feature the full total price of their airfares.

The proposed law would give airlines free rein to quote artificially low ticket prices, minus taxes and government fees, leaving you with the mistaken belief that your total airfare is far cheaper than it is.

The supporters of this bill want airlines to be able to advertise a flight without the fees and taxes added on. For example, a $300 flight would be advertised for $239 – omitting the fees and taxes.

The DOT’s advertising rules were meant to eliminate shocking surprise fees and add transparency to the airfare booking process.

So the first question is, who in our Congress is responsible for attempting to perpetrate this deception?

They are Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Peter DeFazio (D-OR), the sponsors of the bill, who also happen to be members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Review  the list of co-sponsors at https://btcnews.co/Rlxfy2.

Second question, how much did the airlines give to the re-election campaigns of the sponsors of this bill?

CONGRESS DRINKS THE AIRLINE KOOL-AID

The airlines dupe Congress again and again, blogs the Travel Insider. There is no justification for this legislation, which is why there was no debate allowed prior to approving the bill and passing it out of its markup stage and sending it on to the full House.
Transparency or confusion?

According to Reps Shuster and DeFazio, the American public “wants” and is “calling for” this law.

The problem with that assertion is that it is untrue. There are NO consumer groups actively supporting this bill.  In fact, FlyersRights and virtually all other aviation consumer groups are strongly OPPOSED to it.

Another argument for this legislation is that it exposes the level of taxes and fees the government imposes on air travel.

But why would any congressman wish to expose their greedy grab of such a large slice of our air travel expenditures, the Travel Insider asks athttps://btcnews.co/1hR12DK.

All airlines are already free to make as prominent a statement as they choose about how much of the ticket price you pay goes to the government and what it is for.

Another of the bill’s justifications is that it places the same disclosure rules on airfares as on anything else you’d buy.

Yes it’s true prices are usually quoted without sales tax, yet that is necessary because sales tax rates vary not only from state to state and from county to county, but even from city to city.  Air taxes and fees are a constant for any given airline, route and fare, no matter where the ticket is purchased.

Gas prices are a lot like airfare pricing – the price per gallon of gas includes all federal, state and local taxes and fees.

Imagine if gas stations were to start advertising just the base cost of the gas on their signs, and only after you’d filled your tank you discovered the total cost!

What this legislation would most risk is a return to the most egregious examples of ‘bait and switching’ where you’d see a low advertised airfare, but only after getting all excited, and working through 95% towards paying it, do you then discover a morass of fees and surcharges – carrier imposed as well as government imposed – that total more than double the price you thought you were going to pay.

The airline industry, along with banking, cable and telecommunications, oil, healthcare, and numerous others, want less regulation, but they have demonstrated, time and time again that they are incapable of regulating themselves.

The consumer deserves to have the final price of an airline ticket prominently displayed BEFORE taking out a credit card to pay for it.  As it is today, the consumer CAN see the whole price before booking, no last-page surprises–and that should never be changed.

Please contact your congressional representatives and ask them to vote against HR 4156, the Transparent Airfares Act, because it does not promote transparent airfares, but rather does quite the opposite.

Easter Candy — How to buy worker-friendly sweets? – National Consumers League

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With Easter nearly upon us, consumers will be purchasing a lot of candy over the next several days. In recent years, the chocolate industry has been rocked by a child labor scandal, when it became known that 80 percent of chocolate derives from the West African nations of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where large numbers of children help harvest cocoa–the main ingredient of chocolate–under conditions that are extremely dangerous and difficult.

In many cases, they use razor-sharp machetes and work without pay under circumstances that some advocates have likened to slavery. How can consumers buy responsible candy—candy free from slavery and abusive child labor? First, we recommend you check this chocolate scorecard developed by the group Green America in 2010. The groups that have been given an “A” grade are making a substantial effort to eliminate child labor and ensure that workers and farmers are fairly treated.

We know “Divine” chocolate the best; they work with farmers cooperatives to reduce child labor and help farmers earn better prices. The scorecard also explains various consumer certification programs like Fair Trade that try to ensure decent livelihoods for farmers and take steps to protect against child labor, although many child labor advocates recognize that monitoring efforts may not successfully ensure products are child-labor free.

In addition to purchasing chocolate that is child-labor free, NCL also advises consumers to purchase union-made products because we believe collective bargaining helps guarantee fair wages and decent benefits for workers. Check out this list of union-made candy, complied by Union Plus. The list represents the products produced by members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM); the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW); and the fruit and nuts from members of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).

Included on the list, which Green America compiled in 2010, are Hershey and Nestle – two companies that produce union made candy but have received poor grades on the chocolate scorecard. Hershey’s products (excluding “Hershey’s Bliss”) have been given an “F” grade in large part because of its extremely slow, lackluster response to child labor allegations. More recently, the company announced a certification scheme to ensure their products are child-labor free by the year 2020, but it doesn’t seem to be making any progress in enacting that scheme. Hershey currently is also facing a shareholder lawsuit over its refusal to release documents about the presence of child labor in its supply chain.

Additionally, a few years ago, Hershey’s used a contractor that was accused of trafficking foreign students, essentially tricking them into signing up for a cultural exchange program and then forcing them to work in a factory. In 2009, a 29-year-old worker drowned in a vat of chocolate in a New Jersey factory that supplied chocolate to Hershey, raising questions about the company’s willingness to risk worker safety in its pursuit of low product cost.

You’ll note that Nestle, another major manufacturer of chocolate, received a “D” grade. The company was long criticized for its slow response to child labor allegations. In 2011, after it received the poor grade, Nestle took a step forward by hiring the Fair Labor Association (FLA), an independent third party monitoring group that is helping it identify supply chain problems. University of San Francisco Professor Beth Hoffman, a Forbes contributor, has recently accused the chocolate industry of undercutting prices to farmers and farm workers.Prices for cocoa stand at less than half of what they were in 1980, her piece notes. She adds that in the 1970s, “fifty percent of the cost of a chocolate bar went to pay for cocoa, today that is less than 6 percent.”

For more information about the list of union-made candy, please visit Union Plus and if you’d like a mobile version of the Union Plus list sent to your phone, please text CANDY to 22555.

Closer look at Tax Day – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director
Tomorrow is Tax Day. People resent the Internal Revenue Service because they take your money. Republican candidate for president Mike Huckabee said during a 2008 candidates debate, “People would love to see the IRS abolished. The harder you work, the more you earn, the more the IRS and the government wants from you.” That’s called “the progressive taxation” system. The more money you make, the more you can pay.

Seems fair to me. So I’m not of the Huckabee school – I much prefer this quote, from Progressive era Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. — and in fact, it is emblazoned on the front of the IRS building in Washington DC: “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.” Indeed. And this is also good time to take a look at where our taxes go. Thanks to Campaign for America’s Future and their “National Priorities Project” for excellent information on this topic. Across the United States, the average taxpayer paid $11,715 in 2013 federal income taxes. The military received the largest share that of tax payment: 27 cents on every dollar, compared to 22.5 cents for health care. Defense spending doubled from 2001 to 2011. So we’ve doubled defense spending in one decade. I was surprised to see that military spending outpaced money going to support social programs, given all the griping and grumbling from conservatives about “entitlement programs.” This means the average taxpayer paid $3,174.25 to the military in 2013. Health care received $2,662 for programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Meanwhile, only $238 went to education programs, and just $15.84 and $6.56 went to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and National Forest System, respectively. National Priorities has also looked at each state’s average taxpayer and calculated where taxes from every state are going. These state-by-state tax receipts show the state with the highest average taxes paid (Connecticut, $18,988) and lowest (Mississippi, $7,402), and everything in between. Although these state receipts show the average taxpayer’s contribution to the budget, Americans don’t all pay taxes equally. In theory the tax code is progressive, meaning those who make more money pay higher tax rates – yet in practice that’s not always the case. As Warren Buffett made famous, billionaires sometimes pay lower rates than middle-class workers. And some corporations, like Bank of America and Citigroup, have gotten away with paying zero federal income taxes, even when they make billions in profit. That’s because the tax code is chock-full of tax breaks. Ten of the largest tax breaks that together totaled more than $750 billion in tax savings in 2013 overwhelmingly benefited the top 1 percent of households, with 17 percent of the benefits going to those top earners. That’s in part because tax deductions – one important type of tax break – are far more likely to benefit the wealthy than middle- and low-income folks, because deductions only offer savings to taxpayers who itemize deductions. Only 16 percent of households making between $25,000 and $30,000 itemize tax deductions, while nearly 100 percent of those making over $200,000 itemize.

Advocacy group asks Senators to allow debate on Paycheck Fairness Act – National Consumers League

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April 9, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org 

Washington, DC–Today, the Senate minority stopped the Paycheck Fairness Act from moving forward with a vote of 53-44, stymying the effort to get 60 votes. The nation’s pioneering consumer and labor advocacy organization, the National Consumers League (NCL), is asking the Senate minority to join with the Senate majority and allow debate on the Act.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, which updates the Equal Pay Act of 1963, would give workers stronger tools to fight wage discrimination in the workplace. In order to start discussions on the Act, the Senate needed 60 votes. President Obama took Executive action on equal pay during an event at the White House yesterday.

“Today, a woman is the primary breadwinner in 40 percent of American households. When women receive less pay than their male counterparts, it’s a family issue, not only a women’s issue,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “We ask all the Senators to support working women and allow debate on this bill.”

The Paycheck Fairness Act would help to combat the gender wage gap by prohibiting employers from punishing employees for sharing salary information with their coworkers, enhancing employees’ ability to learn about wage disparities and to assess whether they are experiencing discrimination.

“It’s wrong that women, today, on average, make only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. For women of color, the wage gap is even wider; African-American women make only 64 cents, and Hispanic women make only 54 cents,” said Michell McIntyre, Outreach Director of Labor & Worker Rights of NCL.  “In these tough economic times, families need to bring home every dollar they’re entitled to.”

Additional provisions of the Paycheck Fairness Act would require the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to survey available pay data and issue regulations within 18 months requiring employers to submit additional pay data about employees, identified by race, sex, and national origin. These data would enhance the EEOC’s ability to detect violations of law and improve enforcement. 

The Act would also allow employees to receive the same remedies for gender-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subjected to discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

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About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Mega-breaches and the importance of the Wyndham decision – National Consumers League

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By John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud

Consumers can be excused for not following the minutiae of U.S. district court decisions, but developments this week in New Jersey marked an important victory for data security. On Monday, Judge Esther Salas allowed a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission against Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (the parent entity of Days Inn, Howard Johnson’s and Ramada, among other hotel chains) to move forward.

From 2008 to early 2010, hackers breached Wyndham’s computer network, stealing credit and debit card information of approximately 500,000 customers. In 2012, the FTC sued Wyndham for the company’s alleged failure to adequately protect its customers’ information from theft. To date, the FTC has settled more than fifty similar cases resulting from businesses’ failure to put in place reasonable data security measures.  However, in the Wyndham case, the company is challenging the FTC’s authority to regulate corporate data security practices. This is important because the FTC is the only federal regulator charged with holding companies accountable for failure to protect their customers’ data. Had Judge Salas agreed with Wyndham, it would have threatened to eliminate the FTC’s authority to hold companies to account. The importance of Judge Salas’ decision was put in stark relief yesterday when security firm Symantec published its latest Internet Security Threat Report. The report, one of the most comprehensive security assessments in the industry, didn’t mince words when they called 2013 the “Year of the Mega Breach,” when “cybercriminals unleashed the most damaging series of cyberattacks in history.” Headlines from the report include:

  • 91% increase in targeted attacks campaigns in 2013
  • 62% increase in the number of breaches in 2013
  • Over 552 million identities were exposed via breaches in 2013
  • Spear-phishing campaigns saw a 91% rise in 2013
  • 38% of mobile users have experienced mobile cybercrime in past 12 months
  • 8 of the breaches in 2013 exposed more than 10 million identities each
  • 1 in 8 legitimate websites have a critical vulnerability
  • 500% increase in ransomware scams in 2013

The Symantec numbers are just the latest in a string of warnings coming out of the cybersecurity community about the growing threat from hackers. For example, Tuesday also marked the end of Microsoft’s support for the Windows XP operating system, which may still be installed on nearly 28 percent of desktop computers, as well as ATMs and government computer systems. Reports indicate that this could result in a field day for hackers as remaining security vulnerabilities in the operating system are exploited. News about a major vulnerability in the widely used OpenSSL security technology could expose the two-thirds of websites that run it to hackers. And those are just the warning coming out this week! While Monday’s decision in the Wyndham case was encouraging, the issue is far from resolved. Wyndham has stated that it will continue to challenge the FTC’s authority to regulate companies’ data security practices. This means consumers are still in danger of losing the most important data security cop on the beat. Given the constant stream of data security warnings, it’s imperative that uncertainty about the FTC’s ability to regulate data security be addressed. A number of bills currently pending in Congress would do just that. The FTC should also convene a workshop to examine the issue in depth, as NCL and others suggested last month. To be clear, there isn’t just a cybercrime wave going on right now. What consumers and businesses across the country are experiencing is more like a cybercrime tsunami. Policymakers in Washington need to make sure the FTC can continue to respond to this threat before we’re all washed away.

Advocates welcome executive actions on Equal Pay Day – National Consumers League

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April 8, 2014

Contact: NCL Communications, Ben Klein, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC– Today, on Equal Pay Day, the nation’s pioneering worker and consumer advocacy organization, the National Consumers League (NCL), is applauding President Obama for signing two historic new executive actions aimed at giving women more tools to help close the wage gap. Equal Pay Day, 98 days into 2014, symbolizes the extra time needed for women to earn the same salaries as their male counterparts in 2013.

Today the President signed an executive order banning retaliation against employees of federal contractors for disclosing or inquiring about their wages. He will also instruct the Department of Labor to establish new regulations requiring federal contractors to submit gender data on employee pay. This information will encourage voluntary compliance with equal pay laws and assist with more focused enforcement where possible discrimination exists.

“President Obama’s bold action will strengthen enforcement of equal pay laws for women,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL. “Pay discrimination is all too prevalent, and millions of women and their families are paying a heavy price for it.” 

The Senate is expected to vote to open debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act as soon as tomorrow. The Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 84/S. 2199) would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and bar retaliation against workers who ask about their employers’ pay practices or inquire about their own wages. It would allow women to receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subjected to discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

“President Obama is a true champion for women in the workplace, from the first bill he signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to these actions today,” said Michell McIntyre, Outreach Director of Labor and Worker Rights at NCL. “Congress still needs to do its part and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, but we’re one step closer to achieving pay equity thanks to this White House.”

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About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.