John Breyault remarks at Sen. Blumenthal press conference on airline fees – National Consumers League

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February 22, 2016

Hartford, CT–Good morning. My name is John Breyault and I am the Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud at the National Consumers League. Based in Washington, DC, NCL is the nation’s oldest nonprofit consumer and worker advocacy organization.

Before I begin, I’d like to thank Senator Blumenthal for inviting NCL to speak today and for his leadership in the U.S. Senate. Since his days as a U.S. attorney, state legislator and Attorney General here in Connecticut and now as a U.S. Senator in Washington, he continues to be one of the greatest friends consumers have.

I am here today to express the concerns of millions of travelers nationwide at the ever-growing list of fees that the American airline industry is demanding from its customers. This is an industry that in less than a decade has consolidated from nine national carriers to just four major ones. Combined, American, Delta, Southwest and United control 80% of the market for domestic air travel. Thanks to this consolidation, cheap fuel, reducing seat sizes and a litany of fees, the industry last year posted its highest profits on record — $14.1 billion for the Big Four alone. And the industry’s record profits are set to continue for the foreseeable future – $33 billion in 2016 according to the International Air Transport Association.

While we applaud the industry’s ability to make money for its workers and shareholders, we believe that these “blowout” profits (as one analyst put it) are coming at the expense of consumers’ pocketbooks and safety.

We share Senator Blumenthal’s concerns about the proliferation of egregious add-on fees in the air travel industry. Only in an industry as opaque as this one could they expect to get away with calling a $650 add-on fee a “carrier-imposed surcharge.” That’s on top of $200 cancellation fees, $25 bag fees, $125 in-cabin pet fees (American), $150 unaccompanied minor fees (Delta), $25 reservation by phone fees (JetBlue), $75 name change fees  (Frontier) and literally dozens of other penalties and add-on costs. For goodness sake, there’s even a $150 antler fee, per rack! (Delta)

These charges can add hundreds of dollars to the price of a ticket, yet consumers too often have to click through page after page of airline websites to get an accurate picture of what flying will actually cost them. And forget about being able to easily compare prices across airlines. For far too many consumers it feels like you need to break out a slide rule just to figure out what is the best deal for flying to grandma’s house. And don’t let the airlines kid you. All this nickel-and-diming adds up to big bucks. Cancellation fees alone contributed an estimated $3 billion in revenue for the industry in 2015 (BTS). I’ve seen no indication that these fees are in any way related to cost for the airlines. It appears that “whatever the market will bear,” is the modus operandi when it comes to airline fees.

Consumers are fed up and are speaking out. Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported a 30% year-on-year increase in consumer complaints about the airlines. This comes despite repeated assurances from the industry that they are reinvesting revenue from all those fees in an improved customer experience.

Our simple question is this: “If, as the airlines argue, consumers are willing to put up with all the fees as long as ticket prices are low, why are complaints skyrocketing?”

Airlines are, of course, free to charge whatever fees they want, but they shouldn’t be able to hide those costs from consumers by making fee information difficult to obtain. Consumers should be able to easily and accurately compare the cost of flying — including add-on fees — across airlines so that they can get a full picture of exactly how much a particular trip is going to cost.  

This is why we feel it is so important for the Department of Transportation to require mandatory reporting of all ancillary fees. The DOT has proposed rules that would require basic reporting of such fees. However, we believe these rules can and should require much greater detail from the industry. Should the DOT fail to put in place adequate disclosure rules for consumers, we would urge Congress — with the help of leaders like Senator Blumenthal — to step in and require greater fee transparency. We hasten to add that disclosure is only a first step. Reining in these punishing fees is high on NCL’s list of much-needed consumer protections.

In conclusion, I would again like to express my thanks to Senator Blumenthal on behalf of the National Consumers League and consumers nationwide for raising this important issue. We look forward to continuing to work with him and other pro-consumer leaders in Congress to push forward reforms that promote fair dealing and fair treatment of airline passengers.

Egregious lawyer’s fees hurting consumers – National Consumers League

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SG-headshot.jpgAs a lawyer myself, two recent articles on rising lawyer’s fees caught my attention. According to the Wall Street Journal, some lawyers at “white shoe firms” are now charging up to $1,500 an hour for their services. These are not harmless developments without ancillary effects. Most of these firms are working for big corporations–or shockingly, local or state government–which simply pass these exorbitant fees along to their customers or taxpayers. In other words, the little guy ultimately pays for these fees. 

In a separate article, the Wall Street Journal reported that the law firm of Wilmer Hale is charging the city of Baltimore $2.2 million for legal fees in its discussions with the Department of Justice in the aftermath of the Freddie Gray shooting. If the Wall Street Journal ran this story for its shock value, it certainly succeeded in shocking me. The Wilmer Hale lawyer who is heading the legal team for the city is no doubt very talented and experienced. But, in a previous job with Fannie Mae, that lawyer walked away with $26 million in fees before the government bailed out the mortgage agency. Given that windfall, she might have considered waiving her fee to Baltimore.

Baltimore is perennially cash-strapped. Wilmer Hale claims it gave Baltimore a 10 percent discount.  But, the firm made $2.2 million on the deal! I think it’s wrong to charge struggling municipalities these high fees. Wilmer Hale could afford to represent Baltimore pro bono or low bono; and certainly every firm, big or small, has a nonprofit rate (and it should not exceed $350 an hour to be affordable for nonprofits). Another option would be to do what Miami, Cleveland, LA, Seattle, and Portland have done, and handle similar probes with in-house counsel.

Representatives of Baltimore’s legal department have explained their decision to outsource legal counsel with the rationale that they need a more experienced firm. But, Baltimore is a poor city, with a per capita income of around $24,000. Paying  $2.2 million to a corporate law firm that charges top rates seems like a poor use of taxpayer money and erodes citizen confidence in government. 

Will Obama’s cybersecurity plan help consumers? – National Consumers League

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It seems appropriate that the Obama Administration chose Safer Internet Day to announce its new *Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP). At a time when massive data breaches continue to be the norm, rather than the exception, it is heartening to see the President take comprehensive action to address ongoing threats to consumers’ data. So, what are some of the highlights of the CNAP? Will it help consumers getting pummeled by data breaches?

Let’s take a look…

Establishing a “*Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity”

Bringing together cybersecurity experts to talk shop and recommend solutions is rarely a bad idea. Importantly, the CNAP is charged with delivering a report of its findings and recommendations to the President on December 1, 2016, which should make for interesting reading by data security geeks like yours truly. The CNAP calls for the Commission to be made up of “top strategic, business, and technical thinkers from outside of Government.” Within the Executive Order itself, the Commission membership qualifications are spelled out in greater detail as “those with knowledge about or experience in cybersecurity, the digital economy, national security and law enforcement, corporate governance, risk management, information technology (IT), privacy, identity management, Internet governance and standards, government administration, digital and social media, communications, or any other area determined by the President to be of value to the Commission.”

Notice something missing there? If you said “consumers,” give yourself a gold star. All too often, the job of protecting consumers’ data is punted on to the backs of consumers themselves. While doing things like enabling two-factor authentication, using good digital hygiene, and paying attention to credit reports is never a bad idea, it can’t be the only solution. The companies and agencies that collect and use consumers’ data must have real skin in the game when it comes to protecting that information. We hope that the new Commission will take a look at the role that data security standards, strong data breach notification requirements, and cyber insurance can play in strengthening data protections.

Empowering Americans to secure their online accounts

At NCL, we’re big fans of the great work the National Cyber Security Alliance is doing to arm consumers and businesses with the tools to enhance their own data security. By embracing two-factor authentication, the Administration is putting its imprimatur on a common-sense data security tool that all consumers should be using whenever possible. Kudos, too, for looking at ways for federal agencies to practice what they preach by looking for ways to implement stronger authentication methods and reduce the use of Social Security Numbers as an identifier for citizens. (P.S. If you use Google services and need some extra incentive to up your security game, our colleagues at Google are offering two free gigabytes of Google Drive storage to anyone who completes their Security Checkup).

Investing $19 billion+ for cybersecurity as part of the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Budget

This is the part of the CNAP that’s getting the most press and, frankly, will probably be the toughest part of the plan to get over the finish line, given election year politics in Washington. However, given the cybersecurity skills gap, it’s heartening to see the President’s budget proposing a package of student loan forgiveness, increased cybersecurity hiring, small business training, and technology modernization initiatives. Last year’s OPM data breach made the consequences of relying on out-of-date technology painfully clear. And for goodness sakes, it’s time for every federal agency to get off Windows XP, already!

There’s lots more to dig into in the CNAP, but overall, it’s got a lot to like from a consumer point of view. As the Plan correctly recognizes, “there is no silver bullet to fully guarantee our data security.” The fight for better data security is going to take lots of hands, and we applaud the President for proposing ways for us all to get in the trenches.

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

New York Attorney General report shows anti-consumer practices remain rampant in ticketing industry – National Consumers League

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January 28, 2016

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) welcomes a new report on the ticketing industry released today by the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Though NCL disagrees with some of the report’s recommendations, the Schneiderman investigation highlights the rampant ticket industry abuse and need for reforms that NCL and others have long advocated.

The following statement is attributable to John Breyault, NCL vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud:

Consumers across the country shouldn’t be surprised by the findings of the New York Attorney General’s report on live event ticketing practices. NCL was an early and vocal critic of the live event ticketing industry. The report’s finding—that the modern ticket marketplace is rife with abuses that prevent consumers from accessing tickets to popular events at a fair price—has long been known to anyone that tries to buy a live event ticket.

There are no white knights in this marketplace. Unscrupulous ticket brokers abuse the market and violate the law by using sophisticated ticket-buying “bot” software to purchase large numbers of tickets and resell them at outrageous markups. Conversely, ticketing monopolists, promoters, and venue owners engage in the anti-consumer practice of holding back huge numbers of tickets for well-connected “insiders.” Indeed, as revealed recently, these same insiders often turn around and resell the tickets themselves.

We agree with many of the New York Attorney General’s recommendations. These include requiring better disclosure of bot activity to enforcement agencies by primary ticketers, more transparency on ticket “holds,” and better enforcement of existing consumer protections against abusive ticket broker practices. However, we disagree with the Attorney General’s recommendation that New York’s existing “paperless option” law should be repealed. The law, unique in the United States, ensures that primary ticketers in New York can’t take away a consumer’s right to give away, resell, or donate a tickets on an open and competitive secondary market. Rather than restrict consumers’ rights, legislators in New York and elsewhere should mandate transparency at all levels of the ticket marketplace, ensure that existing consumer protections are well-enforced and promote competition in the sale of live event tickets.

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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.

Groups send letter to FCC calling for action on broadband privacy and data security – National Consumers League

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January 20, 2016

Tom Wheeler
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th St., SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

Re: Broadband Privacy Rulemaking

Dear Chairman Wheeler: 

The undersigned organizations urge you to commence a rulemaking as soon as possible to protect the privacy of broadband consumers. As Commissioner Julie Brill of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stated in a recent speech on broadband and privacy, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) reclassification of broadband as a Title II common carrier service adds it as “a brawnier cop on the beat” on privacy issues. She welcomed the opportunity for the two agencies to work in cooperation to create “strong consumer privacy and data security [that] are key ingredients of our data-intensive economy, including the practices of broadband providers.”

Providers of broadband Internet access service, including fixed and mobile telephone, cable, and satellite television providers, have a unique role in the online ecosystem. Their position as Internet gatekeepers gives them a comprehensive view of consumer behavior and until now privacy protections for consumers using those services have been unclear. Nor is there any way for consumers to avoid data collection by the entities that provide Internet access service. As the role of the Internet in the daily lives of consumers increases, this means an increased potential for surveillance. This can create a chilling effect on speech and increase the potential for discriminatory practices derived from data use. By contrast, commonsense protections may lead to a broader adoption and use of the Internet, as individuals gain confidence in conducting everyday business and exploring new services online.

With the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding on Consumer Protection between the FCC and FTC outlining continuing interagency cooperation on privacy, the FCC is now well positioned to take its place as that “brawnier cop on the beat” focusing on broadband providers. We therefore strongly urge that the FCC move forward as quickly as possible on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing strong rules to protect consumers from having their personal data collected and shared by their broadband provider without affirmative consent, or for purposes other than providing broadband Internet access service. The proposed rules should also provide for notice of data breaches, and hold broadband providers accountable for any failure to take suitable precautions to protect personal data collected from users. In addition, the rules should require broadband providers to clearly disclose their data collection practices to subscribers, and allow subscribers to ascertain to whom their data is disclosed.

We thank you for your continuing commitment to consumer privacy protection. In addition to the Commission’s important decision last year to retain authority to protect consumer privacy on broadband telecommunications services, the FCC has worked diligently under your administration to enforce existing privacy protections for voice communication, and to require greater transparency for broadband provider service practices. We look forward to working with you to modernize these existing rules to clarify crucially important protections for consumers online.

 

Sincerely, 

Access
Access Humboldt
Access Sonoma Broadband
American Association of Law Libraries
American Civil Liberties Union
Appalshop, Inc.
Ashbury Senior Computer Community Center
Benton Foundation
Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County
California Center for Rural Policy
CALPIRG
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood
Caney Fork Headwaters Association
Center for Democracy & Technology
Center for Digital Democracy
Center for Rural Strategies
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Chicago Consumer Coalition
Children Now
Common Sense Kids Action
Consumer Action
Consumer Assistance Council of Cape Cod and the Islands of Massachusetts
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Federation of California
Consumer Watchdog
Cornucopia Network NJ/TN Chapter
Cumberland Countians for Ecojustice
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Free Press
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Kentucky Equal Justice Center
Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition
Massachusetts Consumer Council
Maui County Community Television
Mountain Area Information Network
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients)
National Consumers League
National Digital Inclusion Alliance
National Hispanic Media Coalition
Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility of United Church of Christ
North Carolina Consumers Council
Oklahoma Policy Institute
Open Library
Open Technology Institute at New America
Oregon Consumer League
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Privacy Times
Public Citizen
Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law
Public Knowledge
Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, University of Connecticut
Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB Coalition)
Southern California Tribal Digital Village
Texas Legal Services Center
U.S. PIRG
United Church of Christ, OC Inc.
World Privacy Forum
X-Lab

MLK reflections – National Consumers League

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Today we celebrate the birthday of one of America’s greatest leaders, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who would have been 87. What a different place America might have been had he lived. He was gunned down in 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where he was rallying in support of the sanitation workers’ strike after workers had been killed on the job due to unsafe conditions. MLK is revered by National Consumers League and labor leaders alike. 

What made MLK such a great leader? He rose above the fray, and he made connections with issues beyond his own sphere. He opposed the Vietnam War, he fought the militant and divisive image of Malcolm X, the public face of the Nation of Islam, he spoke against anti-Semitism, and he drew connections between worker protections and the civil rights movement. 

Dr. King’s legacy as a civil rights icon and irreplaceable voice of humanity and nonviolence is very much with us today. 

As I watched the 2015 Kennedy Center Awards, I thought of Dr. King and how I think he would have been proud of the mosaic of honorees that night. He played an enormous role in making all of this possible by waging a struggle for civil rights for all Americans. And though there is much work to be done and American has many problems ahead of us, the Kennedy Center Awards evening showcases America’s best qualities: 

George Lucas, the Star Wars creator and director, a hugely original creative mind and a white man – married to an African American woman; Cicely Tyson, a 90 year old African American actress with a stunning list of credits who is currently – yes currently – acting in the Broadway show The Gin Game with James Earl Jones.

Rita Moreno, an 84 year old Puerto Rican dancer, singer and actress who has won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and Tony award

Seiji Ozawa, Japanese-born conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra who served for 29 years in that role

Carole King, a Jew from Brooklyn whose iconic hits like “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Up on the Roof” have been recorded by African American singers like the Drifters and singers like Ben E King; and whose song “Natural Woman” was stunningly performed by Aretha Franklin on the Kennedy Center Stage before an audience that included America’s first African American President and first lady.  

We miss the wisdom and presence of the great leaders, like Dr. King, but his legacy is with us every day.

Chipotle’s misdirected food safety efforts – National Consumers League

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92_chipotle_stock_photo.jpgBy Ali Schklair, Linda Golodner Food Safety & Nutrition Fellow 

Back in August, Chipotle launched its ‘G-M-Over it’ campaign. In the name of food safety, it pledged to eliminate all genetically modified ingredients from its food supply. But the hype didn’t last long. By September, Chipotle was facing a class-action lawsuit challenging the validity of their GMO ban. Plaintiffs argued that the meat and dairy products served at the chain come from animals that feed on GMO corn and soy, not to mention the corn syrup used in Chipotle’s juices and soft drinks.

Fast-forward to December, and Chipotle was being linked to numerous foodborne illness outbreaks. Over a six-month period, 500 people were sickened and 20 were hospitalized from norovirus, salmonella, or one of two different strains of E. coli. 2016 isn’t looking much better for Chipotle. A federal grand jury has served the company with a subpoena asking for documents relating to the norovirus outbreak at a Simi Valley, CA location. At this point, it is safe to say that Chipotle has greatly misdirected its food safety efforts.

Outbreaks at restaurants are serious. In 1993 an E. Coli outbreak at the fast food restaurant Jack In The Box infected 732 people. The bacterium originated from undercooked beef patties in hamburgers. The outbreak involved 73 Jack In The Box restaurants in California, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada and has been described as “far and away the most infamous food poison outbreak in contemporary history.” Four children died, and 178 other victims were left with permanent injury, including kidney and brain damage. The FDA implemented new guidelines and regulations after the Jack In The Box tragedy, including setting temperatures for cooking beef to destroy pathogens.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that approximately 48 million Americans are infected by foodborne diseases each year. Consumers are *twice as likely to get sick from food prepared at a restaurant. Since pathogens can grow and spread anywhere throughout the supply chain, it’s often hard to track the source of an outbreak. When restaurants have multiple supply sources, as does Chipotle, it is even harder to identify the origin. As discussed in a recent New Yorker article, “while Chipotle has said that it is introducing more stringent testing and reassessing its food-handling practices, its reliance on local suppliers means that the task of insuring the integrity of its supply chain will be harder.” Not only will Chipotle have to revamp its food safety protocols, but it may also need to reconsider its entire local sourcing model—something that is a draw for many devoted Chipotle customers.

Where does that leave consumers who eat out? The *CDC suggests taking these four precautionary steps when picking a restaurant or dining out:

  1. Check inspection scores. Search online to see how the restaurant scored on their state health department health inspection.
  2. Make sure the restaurant is clean. Look around to see how used plates and utensils are handled. If you can see it, notice how food is being prepared and how cooking spaces are cleaned.
  3. Check that your food is cooked properly. Look at your meat to determine whether it is cooked thoroughly, and send it back if it appears too pink or raw in texture.
  4. Handle your leftovers properly. Refrigerate leftovers no more than an hour after leaving the restaurant. Eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days, and discard if you see signs of deterioration – like mold or a bad smell or texture – on leftovers.

The *CDC and Food Safety News offer plenty more helpful information about avoiding food borne illness.

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

Script Your Future launches fifth annual student competition for innovations in medication adherence – National Consumers League

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January 4, 2016

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, (202) 207-2832, cindyh@nclnet.org 

Washington, DC—January 19 marks the launch of the fifth annual Medication Adherence Team Challenge, a two-month-long intercollegiate competition among health profession student teams and faculty for creating solutions to raise awareness about medication adherence as a critical public health issue. The Challenge, coordinated by the National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneer consumer group and the lead organization on the national Script Your Future campaign, is returning to university campuses across the country after four years of successful student innovation. 

The Challenge is part of Script Your Future, a campaign launched by the National Consumers League and partners in 2011 to combat the problem of poor medication adherence in the United States, where nearly three out of four patients do not take their medication as directed.

“We know that, by working together, health care professionals can help patients take their medications as directed in order to preserve and improve their health. The Challenge embraces this principle behind improving medication adherence and lays the foundation for adherence-minded care delivery among students before they enter the workforce,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “We have been so impressed by the creativity and dedication of our student teams in previous years and look forward to seeing what this year’s Challenge will contribute to the discussion.”

The Challenge is sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

From January 19 through March 18 inter-professional teams—including student pharmacists, nurses, doctors, and others—will implement outreach with creative approaches in their communities to raise awareness and improve understanding about medication adherence, using Script Your Future. At the end of the Challenge, select schools and their teams will be recognized nationally for their efforts to improve medication adherence.

“The Script Your Future Adherence Challenge has provided a tremendous opportunity for health professions students to illustrate how they can work collaboratively to improve patient care through better medication adherence,” said Dr. Lucinda L. Maine, Executive Vice President and CEO at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. “This challenge, now in its fifth year, provides a great example of the power health professions teams can have on medication adherence.”

Since the Challenge began in 2011, more than 6,000 future health care professionals have directly counseled more than 22,000 patients and reached more than nine million consumers in this concerted public effort about the importance of medication adherence. Last year’s National awardees were the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. The Focused awardees were the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy (Health Disparities), the Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy (NEOMED) (Media), and the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy (Creative Inter-Professional Event).  

To learn more about last year’s winners visit the Script Your Future website.

For more information on the Challenge visit the Challenge Community website at https://syfadherencechallenge.ning.com/. Tweet along with us during the Challenge using #SYFchallenge and follow the campaign @IWillTakeMyMeds.

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Script Your Future is a campaign of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1899. NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information about the Script Your Future campaign, visit www.ScriptYourFuture.org. For more information on NCL, please visit www.nclnet.org.

Great news: Daily teen cigarette use down by 50 percent over five years – National Consumers League

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karinb.jpgWhat great news for the New Year–daily cigarette smoking among high school students has fallen by 50 percent or more over the past five years! This is significant, since tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.

As reported in The Wall Street Journal, the recent NIH-funded Monitoring the Future survey conducted by the University of Michigan found that about 5.5 percent of 12th grade students reported smoking cigarettes daily, down from 11 percent five years ago.

The news was similarly positive for the surveyed 10th and 8th grade students. Among 10th graders, only 3 percent smoked cigarettes daily, down from 6.6 percent five years ago. Only 1.3 percent of 8th graders reported smoking daily, down from 2.9 percent. The study surveyed about 45,000 students from over 380 schools across the country. This downward trend in cigarette use is testament to the great strides our country has made in preventing youth smoking.

The National Consumers League (NCL) commends organizations such as the Truth Initiative and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for their work in educating young people about the serious health risks of tobacco. However, NCL and its colleagues in the advocacy community are concerned about the use of electronic cigarettes, which is outpacing the use of regular cigarettes. NCL worries that e-cigarettes, as well as flavored little cigars, might represent new mechanisms for getting kids hooked on nicotine.

It is imperative that the U.S. build on these downward trends in cigarette use and win the fight against tobacco and nicotine addiction, in order to ensure many more happy and healthy New Years for our nation’s youth.

Hyatt signs ‘The Code’ – National Consumers League

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This article written by Child Labor Coalition contributing writer on human trafficking issues Mary Donovan, was originally published on the Child Labor Coalition website on December 18, 2015.

On December 10, 2015, Hyatt Hotels Corporation re-affirmed its efforts to fight child trafficking by signing a code of conduct known simply as “The Code.” This is a big step forward in the fight against human trafficking and the abuse and exploitation of girls and young women, and in some cases, boys and young men caught in the so-called “sex industry.”

The Code is an industry-driven initiative to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in the tourism industry through awareness, tools, and support. It was developed by End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (EPCAT), the United Nations World Tourism Organization, and UNICEF.

The sexual exploitation of children often takes place in hotels. Hotels are a prime place for this crime because traffickers and pimps can avoid being caught by paying for hotel rooms in cash and switching rooms nightly. Polaris, a global anti-trafficking non-profit, reported that 35 percent of survivors said hotels and motels were the primary places sexual exploitation occurred. These facts make the tourism industry a good place to start to combat the sexual exploitation of children.

When an organization signs The Code, they commit to following six steps. These steps include training employees and providing information for travelers on how to report suspected cases, adding clauses to contracts with a zero tolerance policy of sexual exploitation of children, and reporting annually on the implementation of The Code. The goal is to have a prepared and aware tourism industry that can recognize and prevent crimes against children. Wanting recognition as responsible brands, becoming leaders in the tourism industry, and making the community safer for children were motivations for organizations to sign.

The Code now has 1,287 signatories. Notable ones in addition to Hyatt are: Hilton, Carlson, Choice Hotels International, and Delta Airlines. Signatories come from all around the world, from Bangkok to Jamaica to Bulgaria.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation already has a good record of working against trafficking. In 2012, they worked with Polaris to develop a mandatory human trafficking training program for employees. Their announcement, released on International Human Rights Day, of signing the code deepens their commitment to being a responsible business.

Millions of children are sold into sexual exploitation around the world each year. In order to stop these crimes we must be able to identify when and where they are taking place. Human trafficking is a high-profit and low-risk industry, mainly because of the ability of traffickers to conduct hidden crimes. Initiatives like The Code elevate the risks traffickers face by increasing the chances of detection and making it harder for them to connect with consumers who are fueling the industry of human trafficking. We urge consumers to be a responsible traveler and stay at hotels who have signed “The Code.”