Q. What are your top contributions to consumer advocacy?
A. Along with the virus, the pandemic brought bad actors looking to profit from dire circumstances. My office devoted staff and resources to responding to reports of price gouging of necessities and COVID-19 scams regarding false treatments and remedies.
During the first months of the pandemic, the Department of Attorney General received thousands of consumer complaints, especially about price-gouging. Products were disappearing from store shelves, and people were scared. Unfortunately, some people and businesses tried to exploit that. I assigned a team of criminal investigators to police price-gouging. These special agents followed-up on consumer complaints by calling store owners and managers, making online purchases to document costs, and visiting stores to make purchases and ask questions. Our highly visible and immediate response was itself a deterrent. So too were the dozens of investigations and notices of intended action our attorneys initiated.
My department took on price-gougers who were using platforms like eBay and Amazon to try to make grossly excessive profits on products like face masks and hand sanitizers. We also took on stores that tried to take advantage of people by selling items like a case of bottled water for $20 that normally sold for $5.
We shut down scam artists like an individual who was selling a “Coronavirus Defender Patch.” The success of our early aggressive response, coupled with the effects of time and vaccinations, significantly reduced the ability of scam artists to take advantage of people during a vulnerable time. That same strong response put bad actors on notice and seemed to reduce the proliferation of scams allowing the Department to again broaden our consumer protection initiatives.
Two specific areas where I worked to focus our consumer protection efforts are the Robocall Crackdown Team and the Michigan Identity Theft Support initiative. The Robocall Crackdown Team launched in November of 2019 with a focus on federal, state, and industry cooperation; consumer education and reporting; revamped enforcement; and, legislative updates.
Since then, our office was one of the first states to develop robocall specific literature and a complaint form to inform the public as well as partner with the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Social Security Administration on this issue. Our office additionally sat on the Hospital Robocall Protection Group, an FCC advisory committee that issued best practices to protect hospital systems from robocalls.
Our office was also one of the first law enforcement agencies to target voice over internet protocol providers, which has become the roadmap for most enforcement agencies now. In its enforcement efforts, our office has shut a California company down, entered into a settlement with a major Texas provider memorializing the first set of “know your customer” practices, filed a multistate lawsuit to stop a major healthcare and auto warranty robocall operation, and shut down a Michigan charitable solicitation operation using illegal robocalls. Our office has also supported the efforts of other states and federal agencies in their efforts and has begun working with the legislature to review Michigan’s existing laws on the subject.
The Michigan Identity Theft Support (MITS) initiative was launched in April of this year to provide resources to victims as they navigate the challenges of identity theft. The signs of identity theft, the various types of identity theft, and the steps to combat it are among the many resources available on the MITS website. The website identifies steps for consumers to follow to determine if they have been a victim of identity theft, identify what specifically has been compromised, who to contact, and how to request further assistance.
Residents rely on our department for consumer protection information and I have made a concerted effort to deliver information in a creative and engaging way. Specifically, I have recorded a number of videos to promote consumer protection initiatives and educate the public on how to be on the look out for potential scammers. These videos are a useful tool of engagement with residents and deliver valuable information in a unique and memorable way.
Q. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing consumers currently or what is the most important consumer issue you would you like to take on?
A. Some of the biggest challenges we see are the extensive opportunities for exploitation on the online marketplace from the sale of defective or misrepresented products that are nearly impossible to return; outright scams where consumers pay money for products or services that don’t exist; the myriad of ways personal and financial information can be hacked or obtained under false pretenses; and, the threat now that consumer markets will be disrupted by large businesses we depend on having their networks held hostage by ransomware.
The department strives to meet this challenge with a combination of consumer education, enforcement actions, and cooperation with other agencies. Specific examples of online marketplace scams include pet scams. With new work-from-home measures, we saw a sharp increase in consumers complaints regarding pets purchased online that were never delivered. In these instances, scammers are exploiting the need for companionship. My department responded by working to educate the public through consumer alerts, social media, and videos. Department investigators shared information with web hosts to compel them to remove these scams from their platforms. These scams frequently originate from outside the United States, and we share information with the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate follow-up from that agency.
Another online marketplace scam is drop shipping. A drop shipper is a person or entity that operates an online storefront selling goods that someone else will ship to the consumer. For practical intents and purposes, the consumer is often just paying someone to order for them a product they could obtain at a lower price from whatever website the drop shipper is accessing. While drop shipping is not illegal, there are numerous instances where drop shippers use their websites to make false representations to consumers such as giving the illusion they are ordering from a large, specialty store; that a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit a charitable cause; and, by making guarantees of delivery time and product quality that are not met.
My department utilizes education tools, investigations, or the issuance of cease-and-desist letters to businesses engaged in illegal practices. We also continue to monitor consumer complaints for opportunities to do more in the future. As with any online scam, bad actors are often adept at concealing their identities and whereabouts. Vigilant monitoring and willingness to act on reports of suspect vendors and activities is crucial to beating back the multitude of scammers seeking to take advantage of the public under a variety of circumstances.
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Dinner, where we will honor Dana and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Meet 2021 Trumpeter Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
/by Melody MerinGovernor Gretchen Whitmer’s courageous leadership through this extraordinary time has shaped our national conversation about the pandemic. Throughout this crisis, she’s remained focused on doing the right things: acting decisively, following the science, and listening to the experts. Her actions helped get the once-in-a-century pandemic under control and laid the groundwork to rebuild Michigan’s economy.
Whitmer is a lifelong Michigander who is focused on getting things done and making a difference in people’s lives. She’s an attorney, an educator, former prosecutor, State Representative, and Senator. But the most important title she boasts is MOM. Inspired by her family, she has devoted her life to building a stronger Michigan for all and governed through unprecedented, colliding crises.
The Governor ran on fixing the roads, cleaning up drinking water, and expanding opportunity for all. In two years, Whitmer’s administration created 11,000 new auto jobs while working to diversify the economy. She remains dedicated to investing in small businesses and is also taking bold steps to improve schools and build a more skilled workforce. She’s made historic investments in education and is offering free community college and job training to essential workers and all adults over the age of 25.
Governor Whitmer is honored to serve alongside the most diverse cabinet in state history and three dynamic elected leaders: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Dinner, where we will honor Gov. Whitmer and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a Trumpeter sponsorship today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Q&A with 2021 Florence Kelley Award Honoree April Verrett
/by Melody MerinA. During the pandemic, over 184,000 residents and staff died in nursing homes, many of which could have been prevented through better practices and safety protocols to protect residents and workers. These workers and the elderly/vulnerable populations they care for have historically been overlooked – especially so during the pandemic – and without advocates like SEIU Local 2015, they face a high risk of returning to the status quo.
To promote more transparency in the Long-term care industry, SEIU Local 2015 (the nation’s largest long-term care union representing 400,000 long term caregivers in CA) launched the “Put Care First” campaign to radically upend systemic shortfalls long after the pandemic is over. The campaign aims to overhaul industry regulation through a massive legislative package in CA; create a path to unionization for non-unionized workers; and improve the care and working standards with major contract fights throughout the year.
Our hope is that these workers – who we were so quick to call “essential” during the pandemic – will continue to be thought of and treated that way long into the future.
Q. How did you get started with consumer advocacy, and what does it mean to you?
I have been involved with the labor movement for most of my life. As a young woman, I was exposed to it through my grandmother, who was a union steward for SEIU Local 46 in Chicago, so the union values of organizing, community, and perseverance have been instilled in me as long as I can remember. Now, as the president of SEIU Local 2015, I have been able to fight this fight at the highest levels, and I feel like we are making some significant progress. Our membership is predominantly women, immigrants, and people of color; all communities who have historically been left behind by policymakers and business leaders. Every day, I help fight for safety, justice, and equity for these members, their families, and the people they care for and provide service to (elderly and disabled), and for their communities as a whole. I can’t think of more rewarding work, especially in light of the conditions these workers have been dealing with during the last 18 months of this pandemic.
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Dinner, where we will honor April and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a Trumpeter sponsorship today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Q&A with 2021 Trumpeter Honoree Dana Nessel
/by Melody MerinA. Along with the virus, the pandemic brought bad actors looking to profit from dire circumstances. My office devoted staff and resources to responding to reports of price gouging of necessities and COVID-19 scams regarding false treatments and remedies.
During the first months of the pandemic, the Department of Attorney General received thousands of consumer complaints, especially about price-gouging. Products were disappearing from store shelves, and people were scared. Unfortunately, some people and businesses tried to exploit that. I assigned a team of criminal investigators to police price-gouging. These special agents followed-up on consumer complaints by calling store owners and managers, making online purchases to document costs, and visiting stores to make purchases and ask questions. Our highly visible and immediate response was itself a deterrent. So too were the dozens of investigations and notices of intended action our attorneys initiated.
My department took on price-gougers who were using platforms like eBay and Amazon to try to make grossly excessive profits on products like face masks and hand sanitizers. We also took on stores that tried to take advantage of people by selling items like a case of bottled water for $20 that normally sold for $5.
We shut down scam artists like an individual who was selling a “Coronavirus Defender Patch.” The success of our early aggressive response, coupled with the effects of time and vaccinations, significantly reduced the ability of scam artists to take advantage of people during a vulnerable time. That same strong response put bad actors on notice and seemed to reduce the proliferation of scams allowing the Department to again broaden our consumer protection initiatives.
Two specific areas where I worked to focus our consumer protection efforts are the Robocall Crackdown Team and the Michigan Identity Theft Support initiative. The Robocall Crackdown Team launched in November of 2019 with a focus on federal, state, and industry cooperation; consumer education and reporting; revamped enforcement; and, legislative updates.
Since then, our office was one of the first states to develop robocall specific literature and a complaint form to inform the public as well as partner with the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Social Security Administration on this issue. Our office additionally sat on the Hospital Robocall Protection Group, an FCC advisory committee that issued best practices to protect hospital systems from robocalls.
Our office was also one of the first law enforcement agencies to target voice over internet protocol providers, which has become the roadmap for most enforcement agencies now. In its enforcement efforts, our office has shut a California company down, entered into a settlement with a major Texas provider memorializing the first set of “know your customer” practices, filed a multistate lawsuit to stop a major healthcare and auto warranty robocall operation, and shut down a Michigan charitable solicitation operation using illegal robocalls. Our office has also supported the efforts of other states and federal agencies in their efforts and has begun working with the legislature to review Michigan’s existing laws on the subject.
The Michigan Identity Theft Support (MITS) initiative was launched in April of this year to provide resources to victims as they navigate the challenges of identity theft. The signs of identity theft, the various types of identity theft, and the steps to combat it are among the many resources available on the MITS website. The website identifies steps for consumers to follow to determine if they have been a victim of identity theft, identify what specifically has been compromised, who to contact, and how to request further assistance.
Residents rely on our department for consumer protection information and I have made a concerted effort to deliver information in a creative and engaging way. Specifically, I have recorded a number of videos to promote consumer protection initiatives and educate the public on how to be on the look out for potential scammers. These videos are a useful tool of engagement with residents and deliver valuable information in a unique and memorable way.
Q. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing consumers currently or what is the most important consumer issue you would you like to take on?
A. Some of the biggest challenges we see are the extensive opportunities for exploitation on the online marketplace from the sale of defective or misrepresented products that are nearly impossible to return; outright scams where consumers pay money for products or services that don’t exist; the myriad of ways personal and financial information can be hacked or obtained under false pretenses; and, the threat now that consumer markets will be disrupted by large businesses we depend on having their networks held hostage by ransomware.
The department strives to meet this challenge with a combination of consumer education, enforcement actions, and cooperation with other agencies. Specific examples of online marketplace scams include pet scams. With new work-from-home measures, we saw a sharp increase in consumers complaints regarding pets purchased online that were never delivered. In these instances, scammers are exploiting the need for companionship. My department responded by working to educate the public through consumer alerts, social media, and videos. Department investigators shared information with web hosts to compel them to remove these scams from their platforms. These scams frequently originate from outside the United States, and we share information with the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate follow-up from that agency.
Another online marketplace scam is drop shipping. A drop shipper is a person or entity that operates an online storefront selling goods that someone else will ship to the consumer. For practical intents and purposes, the consumer is often just paying someone to order for them a product they could obtain at a lower price from whatever website the drop shipper is accessing. While drop shipping is not illegal, there are numerous instances where drop shippers use their websites to make false representations to consumers such as giving the illusion they are ordering from a large, specialty store; that a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit a charitable cause; and, by making guarantees of delivery time and product quality that are not met.
My department utilizes education tools, investigations, or the issuance of cease-and-desist letters to businesses engaged in illegal practices. We also continue to monitor consumer complaints for opportunities to do more in the future. As with any online scam, bad actors are often adept at concealing their identities and whereabouts. Vigilant monitoring and willingness to act on reports of suspect vendors and activities is crucial to beating back the multitude of scammers seeking to take advantage of the public under a variety of circumstances.
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Dinner, where we will honor Dana and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a Trumpeter sponsorship today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Meet 2021 Trumpeter Honoree Dana Nessel
/by Melody MerinA former criminal prosecutor in Wayne County and civil rights attorney Dana Nessel was sworn in as Michigan’s 54th Attorney General on January 1, 2019. Her core initiatives have been fashioned in the image of her promise to Michigan’s residents — to give the Department of Attorney General back to the people it serves. As the State’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, Attorney General Nessel launched Michigan’s Elder Abuse Task Force, in partnership with the Michigan Supreme Court, to stop the rise of crimes against one of our most vulnerable populations. She launched the Department’s first Auto Insurance Fraud Unit to investigate and prosecute individuals and businesses who exploit Michigan residents and the system designed to protect the safety of Michigan’s drivers. She has continued the Department’s two largest criminal investigations into the Flint Water Crisis and clergy abuse in the Catholic Church. After starting a Hate Crimes Unit in 2019, she has recently expanded that Unit’s mission to tackle the increase in crimes related to domestic terrorism. Lastly, she has made public integrity a top priority of the Department, reviewing and prosecuting – where appropriate – cases involving law enforcement and other public officials due to conflicts of interest for county prosecutors. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School, Attorney General Nessel lives in southeast Michigan with her family.
Read our new Q&A with Dana.
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Dinner, where we will honor Dana and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a Trumpeter sponsorship today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Meet 2021 Trumpeter Honoree Commissioner Rohit Chopra
/by Melody MerinCommissioner Chopra has actively advocated to promote a fair and fully-functioning marketplace through vigorous agency enforcement that protects families and honest companies from those that break the law. During his tenure at the FTC, he has pushed for aggressive remedies against lawbreaking companies, especially repeat offenders, and has worked to reverse the FTC’s reliance on no-money, no-fault settlements.
After the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Chopra joined the Department of the Treasury to launch the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He then served as Assistant Director of the CFPB, overseeing the agency’s student loan agenda. The Secretary of the Treasury also appointed him to serve as the CFPB’s Student Loan Ombudsman, a new position established in the financial reform law.
In these roles, he led efforts to spur competition in the student loan financing market, develop new tools for students and student loan borrowers to make smarter decisions, and secure hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for borrowers victimized by unlawful conduct by loan servicers, debt collectors, and for-profit college chains.
Chopra later served as Special Adviser to the Secretary of Education to advance the Department’s efforts to improve student loan servicing, reduce unnecessary defaults, and bolster enforcement. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America, where he focused on consumer protection issues facing young people and military families, and a Visiting Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute.
Commissioner Chopra is the recipient of multiple awards for his public service and contributions to the field of consumer finance. Prior to entering government, Chopra worked at McKinsey & Company, the global management consultancy, where he worked in the financial services, health care, and consumer technology sectors.
He holds a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship.
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Dinner, where we will honor Rohit and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a Trumpeter sponsorship today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Meet 2021 Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Honoree April Verrett
/by Melody MerinRead our new Q&A with April.
Although now based in Los Angeles, April’s story begins proudly on the South Side of Chicago. Raised by her grandmother, who worked as a locker room attendant for the Chicago Park District, herself a union steward for SEIU Local 46, April learned early on the values of perseverance, collective action, and community.
April also leads nationally for SEIU International. She is an International Vice President, chairs the union’s National Home Care Council, co-chairs the National Organizing Committee and is a member of the Finance.
She has been tapped twice by Governor Newsom to serve. First in 2019 to serve on the Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force which is tasked with developing a plan to address and manage Alzheimer’s disease and other aging-related conditions throughout California. Again in 2020 he selected her for his Taskforce on Business and Jobs Recovery. April’s work on the Taskforce is helping to reopen the fifth largest economy in the world post COVID-19 and ensure that the needs of all working families are front and center in the process of rebuilding our economy equitably.
April is committed to dismantling structural racism by providing equity to individuals and communities of color. April has continued to demand equity through her work with several organizations who share this vision and by elevating the voices and first hand accounts of the impact that racial inequities have had during the pandemic on Local 2015 members. April is also a member of the Committee for Greater LA, a coalition of diverse leaders who came together to understand the impact of COVID-19 on different populations.
As a labor leader and activist, April has spent most of her career helping workers form unions to ensure that their voices are heard and respected. April is a tireless advocate for working people, driven by the belief that “unions give workers a platform to fight for more than wages, benefits and working conditions, but also around everything that matters in our members’ lives and their communities.”
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Program, where we will honor April and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a Trumpeter sponsorship today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Meet 2021 Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Honoree April Verrett
/by Melody MerinAlthough now based in Los Angeles, April’s story begins proudly on the South Side of Chicago. Raised by her grandmother, who worked as a locker room attendant for the Chicago Park District, herself a union steward for SEIU Local 46, April learned early on the values of perseverance, collective action, and community.
April also leads nationally for SEIU International. She is an International Vice President, chairs the union’s National Home Care Council, co-chairs the National Organizing Committee and is a member of the Finance.
She has been tapped twice by Governor Newsom to serve. First in 2019 to serve on the Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force which is tasked with developing a plan to address and manage Alzheimer’s disease and other aging-related conditions throughout California. Again in 2020 he selected her for his Taskforce on Business and Jobs Recovery. April’s work on the Taskforce is helping to reopen the fifth largest economy in the world post COVID-19 and ensure that the needs of all working families are front and center in the process of rebuilding our economy equitably.
April is committed to dismantling structural racism by providing equity to individuals and communities of color. April has continued to demand equity through her work with several organizations who share this vision and by elevating the voices and first hand accounts of the impact that racial inequities have had during the pandemic on Local 2015 members. April is also a member of the Committee for Greater LA, a coalition of diverse leaders who came together to understand the impact of COVID-19 on different populations.
As a labor leader and activist, April has spent most of her career helping workers form unions to ensure that their voices are heard and respected. April is a tireless advocate for working people, driven by the belief that “unions give workers a platform to fight for more than wages, benefits and working conditions, but also around everything that matters in our members’ lives and their communities.”
Join us on October 12, 2021, for NCL’s annual Trumpeter Awards Dinner, where we will honor April and other exceptional leaders with distinguished records advocating for consumer and worker rights.
Support NCL with a Trumpeter sponsorship today and help protect, educate, and advocate for tomorrow’s consumers and workers. Your generosity allows NCL to continue to take a stand for the everyday consumer.
For more information about sponsorship, contact NCL’s Karen Silberstein at karens@nclnet.org.
Join the conversation about Trumpeter on social media at #Trumpeter21
Support NCL’s Script Your Future campaign
/by NCL staffSupport NCL’s Script Your Future medication adherence campaign
For corporate partnership opportunities, please contact Lee Granados at leeg@nclnet.org or 202-207-2829.
Donations from individuals are always welcome.
Here’s how you can support the campaign:
$25 – Supplies wallet cards for individuals struggling to understand their medication plan
$50 – Supports the diabetic patient understand their medication schedule
$100 – Supports trainings for future health professionals
$250 – Supports community health screenings for the underinsured
$500 – Supports automatic text message reminders to caregivers to help manage loved ones prescriptions
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It’s #GivingTuesday! Support our efforts to put an end to child labor in U.S. tobacco farming
/by NCL staffHelp us put an end to America’s most outrageous child labor abuse: children harvesting U.S. tobacco fields.
Did you know children as young as 7 years old are put to work farming American tobacco fields?
They are far too young to legally purchase cigarettes, but these young children are being permitted to work in American tobacco fields, where they are exposed to acute nicotine poisoning.
The National Consumers League, the Child Labor Coalition, and our allies are working hard to spread the news of this American disgrace and build momentum among advocates, the media, and policymakers to ban child labor from U.S. tobacco fields.
This #GivingTuesday, help support NCL’s 115-year legacy protecting America’s consumers and workers. Just a $10 donation will help the League continue its efforts to raise awareness about the shameful practice of child labor in U.S. tobacco fields and work towards its end.
For years, Americans have been told the dangers of nicotine exposure, and smoking rates have declined to some of their lowest points ever. Yet we are allowing our youngest workers — through loopholes in laws that allow child labor in agriculture to continue — to be exposed to harmful levels of nicotine. On a hot, humid day in a tobacco field, a young worker could be exposed to the equivalent of 36 cigarettes in a single shift, according to some estimates!
We must protect our youngest workers, those who cannot protect themselves!
Your $10, $25, or $50 donation can help us reach our goal of eradicating child labor in U.S. tobacco. Please give generously today.
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Donate to the Child Labor Coalition
/by NCL staffJoin the fight to end child labor
For nearly 30 years, the Child Labor Coalition (CLC) has been a leader in the fight to reduce child labor. The CLC’s organizational members closely collaborate on education and advocacy efforts to advance our shared mission of ending child labor.
As a result of the work of these and other advocates, 100 million children around the world have been removed from child labor in the last two decades. However, our fight continues, as 152 million children still remain in exploitative work, including in very hazardous labor around the globe.
How can you help?
Your donation will help the CLC to continue our fight to end these horrific practices abroad and in the United States, where an estimated 300,000 – 500,000 children toil for long hours doing dangerous work harvesting crops. Please support our advocacy work with your donation!
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