What’s next for mine safety standards? – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

The sad aftermath of the tragic and terrible explosion that killed 29 miners in April 2010 at the Upper Big Branch Mine (UBB) in West Virginia came down recently in the form of a  $209 million fine. Federal prosecutors settled with Alpha Natural Resources – the company that bought Massey Energy, the owner of the mine at the time of the explosion.  UBB was the worst mine disaster in 40 years and the fine is 40 times the size of any previous one. But, of course, nothing can bring back the 29 miners–they had families, were part of their community, they worked grueling jobs each and every day, and they were fathers, husbands, brothers, uncles and sons.

Dean Jones, one of the miners who died, had warned the company of the dangerous conditions before the disaster and was told to get back to work or he and the other miners would be fired. The owners refused to allow the United Mine Workers to organize UBB, thus removing any leverage the workers had to negotiate for safer conditions.

Under the settlement, Alpha will pay $1.5 million each to of the 29 families; the company has also agreed to spend at least $80 million on prevention reforms that will help to avert another disaster, including better air monitors in their mines and new devices to prevent suffocation.

The same week federal prosecutors announced the fine, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released a 1,000+ page report that described UBB as lacking the basic modern safety measures: coal dust and poor ventilation is what caused this explosion, the same conditions that killed coal miners 100 years ago. The UBB mine’s ventilation system wasn’t working properly, causing a build up of flammable coal dust and the hazardous conditions that lead to the explosion. $34 million of the fine is for Massey’s violations of safety requirements.

Don Blankenship, the arrogant former Massey Energy owner who was sent packing after the disaster, was notorious for flouting safety requirements. Massey kept two sets of books – one for regulators, and one for internal purposes. Blankenship was preoccupied with how much money the mines were making, sometimes checking production every few hours, and always at the expense of safety.

This historic $290 million fine and report certainly brings some closure to the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. The question is – will safety in the mines finally become a true priority, will mine owners finally see the value in having their workforce represented by the United Mine Workers which puts safety and health at the top of its demands, and will the lives of coal miners begin to be truly valued after this sad chapter in coal mining and labor history? We certainly hope so, but only time will tell.

 

Consumer group calling on Walmart, Cooper Tires to improve treatment of workers – National Consumers League

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December 19, 2011

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323,  media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization, the National Consumers League (NCL) is calling on Walmart and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company to reform the way they are treating their employees. According to NCL, Walmart and Cooper Tire reap hundreds of millions of dollars in profit through the hard work of their employees, yet both companies continue to curb employee rights and benefits.

Walmart recently announced that it will soon increase the burden of health care costs for its employees. NCL is concerned that those affected associates are already struggling to make ends meet and, due to Walmart’s system of scheduling, many will be unable to predict how many hours they will work each week and how they will budget for these increased costs and reduced health insurance eligibility for themselves and their families.

In a recent letter to the mega-retailer, NCL’s Executive Director Sally Greenberg wrote: “We call on Walmart, a company that has made billions in profits in the United States, to pay its fair share of health care costs for all its employees.  As many Walmart associates currently struggle with poverty-level wages and unpredictable schedules, we ask Walmart to reverse its decision to cut this vital benefit. We ask Walmart to disclose the full increased burden the proposed changes would have on associates, consumers, the taxpayers and communities.”

Along a similar vein, NCL is also encouraging Cooper Tire & Rubber Company to bargain in good faith with its workers during current negotiations for a new contract as well as end the current lockout of its employees in its facility in the United States. Cooper Tire locked out its workers, just days after Thanksgiving, while in contract negotiations, and after its workers gave up $31 million in wages and benefits in 2008; actions that are completely at odds with Cooper Tire & Rubber Company’ statement of its commitment to social responsibility.

According to the United Steelworkers, since 2009, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company enjoyed an operating profit of $448 million and compensated its executives with millions in bonus and raises and even purchased a new corporate jet.

“We believe that shareholders shouldn’t be the only beneficiaries of these profits,” said Michell K. McIntyre, Project Director of NCL’s Special Project on Wage Theft.  “It is in Cooper Tire & Rubber Company’s best interest that the company shares these financial rewards equitably and fairly with its highly productive employees – the very same workforce that kept them afloat in hard times and contributed to making these significant profits possible.”

“NCL urges both companies to do the right thing by the many members of their loyal workforce and provide fair compensation, affordable healthcare, and the respect their workforce justly deserves,” said McIntyre.

NCL’s letter to Walmart is available here.

NCL’s letter to Cooper Tire & Rubber is available here.

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About the National Consumers League

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.

Give union-made this holiday – National Consumers League

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Michell McIntyreBy Michell K. McIntyre, NCL’s Special Project on Wage Theft

As we’re all scrambling to finish our holiday shopping, we tend to grab things convenient and easy. However, we should put some thought into the companies that we buy from. Are they good to their employees? Are they using child labor in the production of their goods?

Our friends at American Rights at Work, along with the NFL Players Association, recently produced a holiday gift-giving guide for union-made products and services. The guide breaks down recipients into various categories: sports fans, do-it-yourselfers, holiday lovers, foodies, booklovers and word freaks, families with small children or the young at heart, bargain shoppers, jetsetters and entertainers. Once you locate your recipient’s proper category, you’ll find a helpful list of union-made gifts to fit their interests. Some of the unions highlighted in the guide include: USW, IAM, UFW, UFCW, ILWU and many others.

For the candy lovers in your life, be sure to check out the list of union-made sweets from the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. Being a conscientious shopper never tasted so good.

And, if you’re in the market for a carpet or rug, please look for products with the GoodWeave label. GoodWeave, an organization dedicated to ending child labor in the carpet industry, certifies certain carpets and rugs as child labor-free. In an industry littered with child workers, GoodWeave takes a stand to stop child labor and give children in Nepal, India, and Afghanistan an opportunity to an education. So during this gift buying holiday season, please take the extra five or ten minutes to look into the companies you’re buying from.

NCL statement on NLRB nominees – National Consumers League

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December 16, 2011

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds the nomination by President Obama of Sharon Block and Richard Griffin to fill the vacancies at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Block is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs at the Department of Labor and has recently served as the Senior Labor & Employment Counsel to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee under Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Griffin is the General Counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers and serves on the Board of Directors for the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee.

“NCL urges the Senate to confirm these qualified nominees,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “We look forward to a full quorum at the NLRB, allowing it to continue in its historic mission of safeguarding employees’ rights to organize and promoting civil and efficient union-management relations and collective bargaining.”

“There is a common misperception that the NLRB is ‘pro-labor.’ The reality is that the NLRB is an impartial independent agency designed to foster open, productive dialogue between employers and employees on fair labor practices, including collective bargaining, elections, and union representation—common sense intended to benefit both labor and management.”

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About the National Consumers League

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.

NCL, consumer groups oppose a rider that defunds lighting efficiency standards – National Consumers League

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December 15, 2011

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

NCL, along with Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America, National Consumer Law Center, and Public Citizen have joined to write Congress a letter urging the opposition any rider to the House Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (H.R. 3671) that would prohibit the Department of Energy from implementing or enforcing the energy efficiency standards for light bulbs that Congress enacted on a bipartisan basis in 2007.

Click here to view the letter.

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About the National Consumers League

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.

Consumer group urging FDA to drop sodium’s status as ‘safe’ – National Consumers League

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December 15, 2011

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323,  media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—In comments filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), the nation’s oldest consumer organization is strongly urging the government to revoke sodium’s long-standing status as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), a strong action geared toward reducing expected to reduce Americans’ sodium consumption.

“The fact is, most Americans are taking in far too much sodium, at a detriment to their health. The average American consumes 3,400 mg of salt per day, far above the recommended levels,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League, which filed comments with the federal agencies this week. “While the reformulation of ready-to-eat foods to reduce sodium content is also a crucial step for industry to take, it is time for the federal government to step in and send the message that Americans need to take their sodium consumption seriously.”

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a daily intake of 2,300 mg of sodium. For nearly 50 percent of Americans, especially including those over the age of 50, African Americans, and those with certain chronic health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, the recommended daily amount is even lower at 1,500 mg per day. Heightened levels of sodium consumption can have serious health consequences. A diet high in sodium has been linked to increased blood pressure, which in turn can lead to a higher risk for heart attacks and strokes.

“Consuming too much sodium has real health consequences. Luckily, simply lowering the amount of sodium in your diet can help combat these effects,” said Greenberg.

Unfortunately, with 77 percent of the sodium Americans consume coming from processed and restaurant foods, reducing sodium consumption can be challenging for many consumers. “With so much salt already added into ready-to-eat foods, simply going a little lighter on the salt shaker will not solve the problem,” Greenberg added. “We have to reduce the amount of salt found in processed and restaurant foods in order to decrease overall sodium consumption.” Reformulation of products, so that they include less sodium to begin with, is a critical step in this process.

While reformulation is a step that will be undertaken by food companies, unfortunately the industry has not voluntarily reduced sodium levels in restaurant or prepared foods, thus we turn tot he FDA to help make progress in reducing sodium levels. Wwe do not believe that an issue this important to public health should be left up the industry,” said Greenberg.  “That is why we are suggesting that FDA take action and revoke sodium’s GRAS status.

With the GRAS status of sodium rescinded, FDA would have the authority to determine maximum allowable amounts of salt in processed and restaurant foods. This would serve as a catalyst for industry reformulation efforts.  FDA has stated that it would be willing to revoke the GRAS status of salt if the food industry did not make a “substantial reduction in the sodium content of processed foods.” Since industry efforts have not yet been enough to curb sodium consumption, NCL strongly supports the revocation of sodium’s GRAS status.

“This is a nationwide problem with significant health consequences. Reducing the amount of sodium in our diets will help reduce the incidence of certain chronic, costly diseases. It is essential that the government take action to facilitate this process,” said Greenberg.

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About the National Consumers League

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.

Tuition hikes, college president salaries, and student debt. Oh my! – National Consumers League

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By NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg

One recent piece of news suggests that college students and their parents are getting rolled. College students are borrowing like never before, while finding it harder than ever to land jobs.

College seniors who graduated in 2009 owed an average of $24,000 in student loan debt, up 6% from the year before, according to a report from the *Project on Student Debt. At the same time, unemployment for recent college graduates jumped from 5.8% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2009—the highest annual rate on record.

In the meantime, the salaries of college presidents have soared to levels that are  – in a word – unconscionable. The Washington Post reported recently that three college presidents in the Washington area earn more than $1 million, and three more earn more than $750,000. Johns Hopkins president William Brody actually received a $3.8 million retirement package!  Kevin Manning of Stevenson University earned $1.5 million. The salary boom of these college presidents is in line with national trends: 36 college presidents nationwide earned $1 million or more in 2009.

Who pays for these outsized salaries? Sadly, college students and their parents. In the past decade, tuition for state students public four- year colleges and universities rose 54 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars — an average of 4.4 percent per year. Similarly, over the past decade, tuition for full-time students at private four-year colleges and universities rose 33 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars — an average of 2.9 percent per year.

I know many young people who have had to take out six figure loans to pay these high tuition costs; the ones who are lucky enough to have a job in today’s economy often don’t have a lot left over for student loans payments after covering their rent, food and utilities. There’s something just fundamentally wrong with the fact that today’s graduates are swimming in debt while college presidents are taking million dollar salaries out of the till.

I know, I know, there’s the familiar excuses – we have to pay this much for high quality presidents, they raise millions of dollars etc. I’m tired of these flaccid explanations – becoming a college President should be about dedication to the academy, to education, to learning and to turning out fine young men and women who have a strong academic—and hopefully liberal arts—grounding. Unfortunately, for people like William Brody of Johns Hopkins, greed has overtaken the higher principles. Being head of a college is now a path to lifelong riches and student and their families are paying the price. What a shame.

 

*Links are no longer active as the original sources have removed the content, sometimes due to federal website changes or restructurings.

Stress-free gift returns – National Consumers League

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Lining up for post-holiday sales and returns? To help ease the burden of returns, the National Consumers League, the nation’s oldest consumer group, offers advice for increasing the chances of successful — and painless — holiday gift returns.

As surely as people buy holiday gifts, they also return holiday gifts. Returning merchandise successfully — and getting a refund you’re satisfied with — can pose a few challenges any time of year, but there are a number of things consumers can do before the return, or even before the purchase, to reduce stress, ease the process, and increase the odds of a successful transaction.

Know a store’s return policy before you buy. When you buy, know what you’re getting into — whether the return will be in the form of cash or store credit, at full price, the price that was paid by the purchaser, or some more recent marked-down price. Know whether having the receipt factors into this so you can decide whether politely going back to the gift giver to ask for the receipt is warranted.

Keep a paper trail. Go to the trouble of saving receipts from the beginning and keeping them handy in case there’s a need for a return. Having a receipt dramatically increases the chances of an outcome that’s to your liking.

As a gift-giver, give items in their full packaging. And as a recipient, don’t open the packaging of anything you know you don’t want to keep, particularly electronics. Policies that don’t allow returns for opened electronics items are common. If they do take it back, they may withhold a certain percentage of the return price and call it a “restocking fee.”

Spend your gift cards. They may lose value over time, so look at the fine print and spend them before they expire.

Prepare yourself for the worst. Stores have been tracking customers’ return habits for years. Some retailers subscribe to services that keep track of what consumers are purchasing and bringing back in an attempt to curb consumer return fraud — the returning of stolen goods. For honest consumers, this can cause problems, as some stores limit the amount of return activity to a certain number or value of annual merchandise returns. There’s a possibility if you’ve returned a lot of merchandise, you’ll be denied.

Be smart. Don’t wear it. Don’t damage it. Increase the chance of having a successful return by taking care of the item on its way back to the store and being a pleasant, polite customer. The post-holidays are stressful enough. Don’t contribute with a less-likely-to-be-helped attitude.

Check out the return policy of an online purchase. You may be able to bring it in-person to the brick-and-mortar store. You may have to pay to send it back, or the vendor may have provided you with a pre-paid postage slip. Or you may not be able to return it at all. Read the delivery information and return instructions for anything you purchase online, particularly if it’s meant to be a gift.

How American consumers can help stop the poisoning of children in Mali, Africa – National Consumers League

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By Reid Maki, Director of Social Responsibility and Fair Labor Standards

Did you happen to see Brian Williams’ news show Rock Center last week? It featured *a chilling report about child gold miners in Mali, Africa. As many as 20,000 kids are estimated to work in Mali’s artisanal mines, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), which released a report, “A Poisonous Mix: Child Labor, Mercury, and Artisanal Gold Mining in Mali.”

HRW, a member of the Child Labor Coalition, which is co-chaired by NCL, found that kids as young as six years old “dig mining shafts, work underground, pull up heavy weights of ore, and carry, crush and pan ore.” As if this backbreaking labor wasn’t bad enough, “many children also work with mercury, a toxic substance, to separate the gold from the ore.” Mercury, as HRW notes, attacks the central nervous system and is particularly harmful to children.

“These children literally risk life and limb,” said Juliane Kippenberg, senior children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “They carry loads heavier than their own weight, climb into unstable shafts, and touch and inhale mercury, one of the most toxic substances on earth.”

Many of the child workers and adult workers have no idea that Mercury is poisonous. The children described the horrible aches and pains that the work leaves them with; one child commented, “Everything hurts.” Apparently, the gold shafts collapse with some regularity. NBC reporter Richard Engel talked to miners who told him a shaft had collapsed the previous day, killing one miner. Many children are not paid wages for their labor. Some receive bags of dirt which may or may not have any gold dust in them. NBC found that many children work instead of going to school.

Unfortunately, American consumers who buy gold are unwittingly abetting the problem. The Malian gold passes through several middlemen and ends up in jewelry and other items around the world, including the U.S.

In Britain, a fair trade activist and jeweler named *Greg Valerio  worked with the *Fairtrade Foundation to help consumers be sure that the gold they are purchasing is free from child labor and the most egregious labor abuses. Valerio is now trying to replicate the system in the U.S. but he needs our help. The next time you go into a jewelry store, ask if the gold is “fair trade” gold and where it came from.

“One of the biggest problems we have now is that the consumer doesn’t go into a jewelry store and ask, ‘Can you trace this gold?’  If the consumer would do that, we would see a shift in the sector,” said Marc Choyt, a New Mexico jeweler who makes jewelry out of recycled precious metals.

“Absolutely dirty gold is making it into the United States and jewelers who don’t have a traceable supply chain can’t tell you where it’s coming from,” Choyt said.

For more information, check out HRW’s press release here.

 

*Links are no longer active as the original sources have removed the content, sometimes due to federal website changes or restructurings.

NCL statement on Senate vote on nomination of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – National Consumers League

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December 6, 2011

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League:

“The National Consumers League urges the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of confirmation of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The Senate is expected to vote on the Cordray nomination as early as this Thursday, December 8.

The effort to confirm Cordray has been held up in Congress by a group of Senators who have pledged to oppose any nominee to head the new consumer watchdog. The Senators opposing the Cordray nomination are seeking changes to the CFPB that NCL believes would weaken its ability to protect consumers.

The lack of consensus to confirm Richard Cordray to head the CFPB is leaving seniors, students, members of the armed forces, veterans, and other consumers at risk of tricks and traps in the fine print of contracts. Families in the United States need an empowered CFPB to protect their interests and save them from the kind of past abuses that led to the worst recession since the Great Depression.

As Attorney General of Ohio, Cordray recovered over $2 billion for consumers and communities who lost money and their financial security from shady Wall Street investments, deceptive financial products, and wrongful foreclosures. Recently, 37 state Attorneys General on a bi-partisan basis sent a letter to the Senate urging his confirmation.

The CFPB was created by the Dodd Frank reform law passed by Congress last year and is working to make sure financial companies play it straight with consumers. It has been charged with identifying and stopping unfair, deceptive, and abusive financial practices and keeping the rules governing financial service products up-to-date.

The CFPB needs a director. Without a leader at the helm, the agency is not able to exercise its full authority to oversee non-bank financial institutions like payday lenders, debt collectors, check cashers and certain mortgage lenders who target vulnerable consumers. NCL asks the U.S. Senate to do right by consumers and approve this nominee to head the CFPB.”

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About the National Consumers League

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.