National Consumers League applauds Biden Administration’s new heat stress initiative

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September 24, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242 or Reid Maki, reidm@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2820

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, celebrates the White House announcement on September 20 of a new multi-agency effort to protect American workers from heat-related illnesses. The initiative includes the launch of a process to create a federal heat standard to protect workers.

The administration’s actions will add protections for outdoor workers in agriculture and construction, as well as for delivery workers, and will cover indoor workers in warehouses, factories, and kitchens.

NCL and the Child Labor Coalition (CLC), which it co-chairs with the American Federation of Teachers, have long supported efforts to develop a federal heat standard. NCL and the CLC have been active in a large coalition of groups led by Public Citizen, Farmworker Justice, and the United Farm Workers Foundation, that has been calling for greater protections from heat-related occupations.

The following statement may be attributed to NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg:

“Heat stress endangers millions of workers, and a federal heat standard is long overdue. We’re grateful that the Biden Administration has responded robustly with this comprehensive, multi-agency initiative. Heat stress affects low-wage workers and people of color disproportionately. The COVID pandemic has reminded us how essential millions of American workers are, and this summer’s searing temperatures demonstrate the need for increased protections. When this effort is completed, countless American workers will be safer than they are today.”

The following statement may be attributed to NCL Director of Child Labor Advocacy, and CLC Coordinator Reid Maki:

“NCL and the CLC have tried for decades to protect child farmworkers, whose back-breaking work in the fields puts them and their families at higher risk of heat-related illnesses. Children are more vulnerable to heat illness than adults; they have a greater surface area to body mass ratio, they sweat less, and their rate of acclimatization is slower.

Weak U.S. child labor laws for the agricultural sector allow an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 children to work unlimited hours on farms, often beginning at the age of 12—as long as the child farmworker is not missing school attendance. In some instances, exemptions allow even younger children to perform farm work. The CLC has been working to close those loopholes and protect the health and safety of child farmworkers for over two decades.

The Biden Administration’s heat stress initiative will address the factors that create social vulnerabilities and disproportionate impacts. The initiative will also provide cooling assistance to households, allow the use of schools as cooling centers, add tree cover to reduce urban heat, and launch related measures such a “heat resilience challenge.”

“NCL thanks the U.S. Department of Labor and other involved agencies for this bold action and applauds the many advocacy groups, farmworker organizations, unions, and other colleagues in the Heat Stress Network, who have fought to bring about these protections,” said Greenberg.

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 lends support to Bolstering Innovative Options to Save Immediately on Medicines (BIOSIM) Act, H.R. 2815

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September 24, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) is pleased to support the Bolstering Innovative Options to Save Immediately on Medicines (BIOSIM) Act (H.R. 2815), introduced by Representatives Adam Kizinger (R-IL) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR). NCL believes that expanding the use of biosimilars is a safe and effective option for making prescription drugs more affordable for all.

In the midst of a pandemic, consumers across the country are unable to receive necessary care for many reasons — the most prominent being high costs. Biologics are among the fastest-growing segments of the prescription product market, and costly to the patients who rely on them. What is unique about biologic treatments is that they are directly able to combat the underlying cause of a disease. NCL is committed to educating consumers about the value of biosimilars as alternatives to biologics.

Consumers are largely unaware that similar to generic prescription drugs, biosimilars are the generic equivalent to their biologic counterpart. As with generic prescription drugs, FDA-approved biosimilars have no clinically meaningful differences from their reference biologics. Biosimilars function in the same way as biologics and are subject to the same rigorous testing by the FDA to ensure their safety. The FDA has approved biosimilar medications to treat conditions such as cancer, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and more. Biosimilars can enter the market once the patent protections for brand-name biologics expire, and when multiple options exist on the market, competition drives prices down.

NCL believes that biosimilar treatment options are a great way to ensure that cost is not a factor that inhibits access to care. Currently, Medicare beneficiaries pay 20 percent coinsurance on Part B drugs, which includes both biologics and biosimilars. On average, biosimilars cut the price of biologics by about 30 percent, which provides beneficiaries with significantly lower prices than the biologic alternative. While biologics make up a small percentage of the total number of drugs on the market, and just 2 percent of prescriptions filled, they represent 40 percent of all drug spending.

Currently, Medicare reimburses participating physicians based on the average sales price (ASP) of a drug with an additional 6 percent of the reference price. However, because biosimilars are cheaper than biologics, physicians more often prescribe the higher-priced treatment. NCL supports increasing the reimbursement percentage for biosimilars as a way to incentivize physicians to prescribe biosimilars. The BIOSIM Act would maintain the 6 percent reimbursement for prescribing a biologic and increase the return for prescribing biosimilars to 8 percent for a five-year period.

The BIOSIM Act provides the needed incentives to boost utilization by providers to prescribe biosimilars and makes it cheaper for beneficiaries to receive the care they require. “If enacted, this policy would not only provide significant savings to consumers, it would also drive down Medicare spending overall,” said NCL Director of Health Policy Jeanette Contreras. “Congress should act on passing the BIOSIM Act in order to increase access to safe and effective biosimilars that provide consumers an affordable alternative to high-cost biologics.”

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 celebrates Labor Day 2021

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September 6, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League was in the forefront of improving conditions for workers at the turn of the 20th Century. In the 1880s in the United States, many American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories, bakeries and mines across the country, earning a fraction of adult wages. NCL’s Florence Kelley wrote some of the key labor protections we take for granted now – the first minimum wage laws, maximum hours laws, and child labor protection laws.

For example, NCL was instrumental in the Supreme Court case of Muller vs Oregon in 1908, which set the first maximum hours laws for workers in the United States, applying only to women at the time but expanding later to include men.

Labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, also grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay.

In the wake of this massive unrest and the maiming and murder of striking workers in many trades, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. We celebrate Labor Day each year to remember the working men and women – and children – who struggled to achieve labor rights and protections and continue to do so today.

Public approval of unions is at 68 percent, including 77 percent of young people. It is with that backdrop that NCL once again calls on Congress to enact three critically important bills:

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA), and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act; these laws will strengthen labor laws and give workers greater opportunities to organize and form unions, protecting the most vulnerable in our labor force

“Decades of industry lobbying have made it increasingly difficult for workers to organize,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “Employers enjoy unprecedented and unfair advantages during union organizing drives, which has led to far fewer opportunities for workers to make their voices heard in the workplace. NCL supports these bills to protect the right to organize and democracy in the workplace for America’s workers.”

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.

Ten consumer advocacy organizations call for action on aviation consumer protection priorities in letter to DOT

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August 27, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

The Honorable Pete Buttigieg
Secretary
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey, SE
Washington, DC 20590

RE: Promoting DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Mission and Passenger Priorities

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

The undersigned consumer advocacy organizations appreciated the opportunity to meet with you on July 27. We welcomed your close attention to our recommendations for actions the Department of Transportation (“DOT” or “Department”) should take to promote and enhance consumer protection in the air travel marketplace. We are encouraged that under your leadership, consumer protection will not be an afterthought at the DOT.[1]

In that regard, we write today regarding the key priorities we identified during our meeting and to request meetings with appropriate officials as you move forward on implementation.

First, as we discussed, we hope you will be publicly and personally highlighting consumer protection as a key part of DOT’s mission. DOT is the sole consumer protection agency, at any level of government, with authority over the air travel industry. Your public statements about your expectations for consumer protection in the air travel marketplace will put the airlines on notice that the DOT under your leadership will vigorously enforce existing consumer protections and seek new ways to better protect travelers as the industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, and going forward.

Second, on the specific priorities we raised with you, all of which you were receptive to addressing, we ask that you help arrange for us to meet with the appropriate officials at DOT and FAA with authority to address these priorities. Those priorities include:

  • Taking immediate action to address the airlines’ practice of issuing expiring travel vouchers for flights not taken on account of the pandemic. The four major U.S. airlines had $10 billion in unused travel credits on their books at the end of 2020. Many billions of dollars in credits will expire this year, due in no small part to inconsistent airline rules regarding when such credits must be used.[2] As was the case last year, travelers continue to be caught in an untenable situation: either endanger their health by flying despite the risks to themselves and others from the resurgent COVID-19 virus, or lose their substantial ticket investments. We request that you publicly call on the airlines to grant refunds, or at the consumer’s option, provide indefinite extensions and transferability of vouchers, for travel that was scheduled to have occurred since the pandemic began. We also urge you to investigate whether the airlines’ failure to do so would constitute an unfair or deceptive practice under DOT’s §41712 authority. We appreciate that DOT has recognized the importance of addressing the more than 100,000 complaints it received in 2020 related to ticket refunds stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the ongoing enforcement action against Air Canada[3] and the planned NPRM on airline ticket refunds[4] do not adequately address the magnitude of this unprecedented situation. To date, no domestic airline has been fined by DOT for any anti-consumer transgressions identified during the pandemic. Conversely, DOT has not hesitated to fine passengers when justified, with fines totaling more than $1 million in 2021 alone.[5]
  • Fulfilling Congress’s directive that DOT address airlines’ family seating practices. Under the airlines’ current family seating practices, families traveling with small children must either forgo purchasing the most affordable classes of tickets or risk being seated far from their children during their flight. Recognizing this situation as indefensible, Congress directed the DOT to review and “if appropriate, establish a policy” directing air carriers to ensure that young children can be seated with their families at no additional cost.[6] But to date, DOT has limited its response to publishing a web page to educate the public about family seating and the availability of the DOT’s complaint process.[7] Separating young children from their families during flights not only creates needless anxiety; it also poses a safety risk during in-flight emergencies, and even puts children at increased risk of sexual assault.[8] We urge DOT to act on Congress’s directive and initiate a rulemaking to mandate that families with small children be seated together at no additional cost. In our view, the airlines’ family seating practices also constitute an unfair or deceptive practice under DOT’s §41712 authority,
  • Acting on Congress’s mandate that FAA establish minimum seat size standards. There currently exists no federally-mandated minimum seat size standard for U.S. airlines. Combined with badly out-of-date Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) emergency evacuation testing standards, the lack of a minimum seat size standard puts passengers at significant risk. Congress,[9] consumer groups,[10] an FAA advisory committee,[11] and the DOT’s Inspector General[12] have all called attention to this risk. The FAA’s continued resistance to establishing a minimum seat size standard led Congress to direct the FAA to do so no later than October 2019. It is now nearly two years since that deadline passed. The DOT should implement this Congressionally-mandated action without further delay.

As leisure travelers continue to power the airline industry’s taxpayer-supported recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the time for action by the DOT to address anti-consumer industry practices is now. The DOT cannot stand by while travelers endure unprecedented delays and cancellations, struggle to obtain refunds, are prevented from sitting with our children, and are squeezed into ever-shrinking and increasingly unsafe seats. The importance of prioritizing accountability for consumer protection has been highlighted anew in recent months, as the domestic airline industry has experienced a series of operational meltdowns, leading to thousands of delayed, canceled, and rescheduled flights, disrupting the travel plans of millions of American consumers.

Thank you again for the commitment you have given us to ensuring protection and fair treatment for the flying public.

Sincerely,

Business Travel Coalition
Consumer Action
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Reports
EdOnTravel.com
FlyersRights.org
National Consumers League
Travelers United
Travel Fairness Now
U.S. PIRG

cc:

The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Chair, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & TransportationThe Honorable Roger Wicker, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
The Honorable Kyrsten Sinema, Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation
The Honorable Ted Cruz, Ranking Members, Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation
The Honorable Peter DeFazio, Chairman, House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
The Honorable Sam Graves, Ranking Member, House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
The Honorable Rick Larsen, Chairman, House Subcommittee on Aviation
The Honorable Garret Graves, Ranking Member, House Subcommittee on Aviation
Blane Workie, Assistant General Counsel for the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, DOT
John Putnam, Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, DOT

 

[1] Josephs, Leslie. (2021, July 28) Legroom, vouchers, seating fees: Consumer advocacy groups take complaints to DOT. CNBC.com. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/28/legroom-vouchers-seating-fees-consumer-travel-groups-take-complaints-to-dot-.html

[2] McCartney, Scott. (2021, March 17) The Airline and Hotel Pandemic Vouchers That May Prove Worthless. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-airline-and-hotel-pandemic-vouchers-that-may-prove-worthless-11615986078?mod=article_inline

[3] U.S. Department of Transportation. (2021, June 15) U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection Initiates Enforcement Proceeding Seeking Approximately $25 million Against Air Canada for Extreme Delays in Providing Required Refunds [Press release]. https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportations-office-aviation-consumer-protection-initiates

[4] https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=202104&RIN=2105-AF04

[5] Federal Aviation Administration. (2021, August 19) FAA Fines Against Unruly Passengers Reach $1M [Press release]. https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=26440

[6] FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016. §2309. https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ190/PLAW-114publ190.pdf

[7] U.S. Department of Transportation. (2020, March 4) Family Seating. https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/family-seating

[8] Rosato, Donna. (2020, March 4) Airlines Fall Short in Fixing Family Seating Problems. Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/air-travel/airline-fixes-to-family-seating-problems-fall-short/

[9] Silk, Robert. (2020 August 17) Travel Weekly. https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Congress-FAA-to-set-standards-for-seat-size-delay

[10] FlyersRights.org. (2021 August 17) The Case of the Incredible Shrinking Airline Seat. https://flyersrights.org/f/the-case-of-the-incredible-shrinking-airline-seat

[11] Federal Aviation Administration. “Emergency Evacuation Standards Aviation Rulemaking Committee. https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/committees/documents/index.cfm/committee/browse/committeeID/757

[12] U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. (2020 September 16) FAA’s Process for Updating Its Aircraft Evacuation Standards Lacks Data Collection and Analysis on Current Evacuation Risks. https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/FAA%20Oversight%20of%20Aircraft%20Evacuations%20Final%20Report%20-%2009-16-20.pdf

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 applauds full approval of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

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August 24, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for granting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine full licensure approval. The FDA’s gold standard approval is a testament to the remarkable safety and efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Though the vaccine will now be marketed under the name Comirnaty, it will remain free to U.S. residents.

Today’s announcement is a historic victory for science, and a signal that the Moderna vaccine will also receive full licensure approval in the coming weeks. NCL has long-advocated for access to vaccines as life-saving interventions. It is our hope that this news will instill more vaccine confidence in the nation and persuade the vaccine hesitant to get vaccinated.

While the vaccine has been approved for people 16 years of age and older, it remains available under Emergency Use Authorization for children ages 12 to 15. Parents of adolescents can share a collective sigh of relief as they send their kids to school this fall. Already, 45 percent of children ages 12-15 have had at least one dose of the vaccine, but only 32 percent are fully vaccinated. Full approval may help to ease concerns that hesitant parents have about the safety of the vaccine.

The approval of the vaccine will allow more employers to implement vaccine mandates in states where the state legislature has banned these measures. Advocating for workers as well as consumers, NCL supports vaccine mandates that provide paid sick leave, financial incentives, and exemptions for verifiable religious or medical reasons.

Over 200 million Americans have received at least one-dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but we are far from reaching herd immunity.  Only 51.5 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated. The Delta variant now accounts for over 137,000 new cases on average each week and is spreading faster than earlier strains of COVID-19. The only way to end this pandemic and prevent the emergence of further variants is to increase vaccinations. NCL remains committed to increasing vaccine confidence and uptake. We are hopeful today marks a turning point in our fight to end this pandemic.

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 supports employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates

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August 18, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—As the nation’s pioneering organization advocating on behalf of consumers and workers, the National Consumers League (NCL) supports government and employer mandates requiring vaccination. NCL has long championed vaccine education and access to these lifesaving medical interventions. In recent weeks, it has become evident that employer mandates are effective at nudging reluctant people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. As the virus continues to spread and mutate around the globe, we remain concerned for the safety of essential workers, the immunocompromised, and children that are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

Fifty-seven of America’s health care organizations share our concerns, releasing a joint statement calling on all health care and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with California being the first state to implement this mandate. President Joe Biden followed with an announcement that federal workers and contractors will need to show proof of vaccination or be subject to weekly or twice-weekly COVID-19 tests. Governors led the way in California, Virginia, and New York requiring state employees to be vaccinated or adhere to similar testing protocols. Private employers can play a key role in increasing vaccinations, providing incentives to employees who get the shot.

NCL believes that all vaccine mandates should be implemented with the consideration that workers will need to receive paid leave to get the vaccine and to potentially recover from side effects resulting from vaccination. The American Rescue Plan Act makes tax credits available to employers to cover the cost of providing paid leave to employees to receive and recover from COVID-19 vaccinations. These tax credits can also be utilized to support employees as they take time off to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Incentives like hourly bonuses and paid time off rewards are extremely important to hourly workers.

Additionally, mandates should be developed in consultation with labor unions who represent workers. The American Teachers Federation and the AFL-CIO are two labor unions that have publicly stated they are supportive of vaccine requirements for workers. The SEIU 2015, California’s largest caregiver union, released a set of principles to aid employers with implementing mandatory COVID-19 vaccines, encouraging them to make the vaccine accessible either at work or near the workplace.

Companies can legally mandate that all employees re-entering the workplace and new hires be vaccinated for COVID-19, providing exemptions pertaining to religion or disability. Politically motivated laws prohibiting mandates for vaccines only make it harder for public health officials to quell the pandemic, ultimately hurting consumers. Seven states have passed laws prohibiting mandates for vaccines under an emergency use authorization. However, since these bans hinge on FDA licensure approval of the vaccines, they will be nullified once a vaccine is granted full approval.

More than 198 million Americans have safely received the COVID-19 vaccine. Given the remarkable evidence of safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, consumers should rest assured that vaccines are effective measures to protect public health and vital to national efforts in ending the pandemic. Through our education and outreach efforts, NCL will continue to support efforts to vaccinate the nation.

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.

National Consumers League calls on Congress, DOT to investigate flight cancellation crisis

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August 6, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) is today calling on Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation to take action to address the dramatic increase in flight cancellations that American consumers have been forced to endure this summer. In just the last 48 hours, Spirit Airlines canceled more than 400 flights, nearly 60 percent of its schedule, and American Airlines canceled nearly 350 flights. This follows on the heels of delays for nearly 10,000 flights and hundreds of additional cancellations in June.

NCL is urging Congress and the DOT to address this unacceptable situation and hold the airlines accountable for skirting around the requirements of agreements to accept more than $50 billion in tax-payer funded bailouts in 2020.

The following statement is attributable to NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud John Breyault:

“The situation in America’s airports has reached a crisis point. The airlines gladly accepted tens of billions of dollars in bailout money last year in order to save jobs. Nonetheless, they are now blaming thousands of cancellations and delays on not having enough workers.

“Who do they think they are kidding? The airlines are playing fast and loose with consumers, and it must stop. This scandal is stranding millions of Americans at the height of the summer travel season. Secretary Buttigieg and leaders in Congress should immediately take action to hold the airlines accountable for their failure to maintain adequate staffing. Airlines that cannot accommodate their passengers should immediately issue refunds with no questions asked. Interline agreements should be required so that passengers can be easily booked onto alternate airlines to complete their journeys. Congress should immediately open an investigation into whether the airlines’ use of early retirement packages and unpaid furloughs, combined with the threat of layoffs, constituted an illegal evasion of the bailout legislation’s staffing requirements.”

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.

National Consumers League statement on the passing of AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka

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August 5, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League is today mourning the passing of AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka. A champion for working families across the United States and around the world, Mr. Trumka was a devoted advocate for the rights for consumers.

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

“America lost a hero today. NCL’s staff and Board of Directors stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the global labor movement as we mourn the loss of AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka, a storied labor leader and friend to working families.

“President Trumka grew up in the small coal-mining town of Nemacolin, Pennsylvania. The men in his family, including his father and grandfather, were coal miners. He  followed them into the mines and subsequently attended law school at Villanova. NCL was proud to honor him with our Trumpeter Award in 2014. He also graciously introduced our 2012 Trumpeter Awardee, United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, in 2012.

“Consumers are better off today because the leadership of President Trumka. As we grieve his loss, we rededicate ourselves to upholding the values that he championed his whole life: building an economy that works for everyone, protecting the rights of the less fortunate, and promoting democracy in the United States and around the world.”

President Trumka was a graduate of Penn State, where the UMWA archives are housed today. He will be missed by all.

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 statement: Brewers’ Voluntary Disclosure Initiative underscores the capability, interest of the beer industry to put a serving facts panel on beer offerings

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August 4, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—At a time when nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults consume alcoholic beverages[1] and need alcohol content labeling to make responsible drinking decisions, the National Consumers League (NCL) welcomes the findings of an independent survey commissioned by the Beer Institute showing that more than 70 percent of the beer products sold in 2020 included a Serving Facts statement listing the alcohol by volume (ABV) and the number of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat on products, packaging, or websites.

The survey, which summarizes the results of the Brewers’ Voluntary Disclosure Initiative (VDI) launched in 2016, is noteworthy because it shows that brewers and importers have the capability to put a comprehensive nutrition label on both bottles and cans of beer. As documented by the survey findings, of the 78 percent of beer sold by VDI participating companies in 2020, 95.5 percent—or 152.5 million barrels—included nutritional content disclosures. This translates into 45.4 billion 12-ounce bottles and cans. The companies participating in the Brewers’ Voluntary Disclosure Initiative are Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Constellation Brands Beer Division, HEINEKEN USA, and FIFCO USA.

Beyond the number of beer products now carrying helpful nutritional information, the findings of the Brewers’ Voluntary Disclosure Initiative are crucial for overcoming the concerns of the federal agency that regulates beer, wine, and distilled spirits—the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) within the Treasury Department—that requiring standardized nutrient content labeling on alcoholic beverages is costly and burdensome for beverage alcohol manufacturers.  Due to these concerns, TTB has yet to issue final regulations requiring Serving Facts statements on alcohol beverage labels.

Getting TTB to issue rules that mandate this labeling has long been a priority for the National Consumers League and other consumer, public health, medical, and nutrition organizations. In fact, NCL’s efforts go back to 2003, when the organization and 75 others first petitioned TTB to require an easy-to-read, standardized “Alcohol Facts” label, similar to the popular “Nutrition Facts” labels on foods and nonalcoholic beverages. While NCL will continue to press for a mandatory “Alcohol Facts” label, the efforts by the beer industry through the Brewers’ Voluntary Disclosure Initiative represent an important step in the right direction and are welcomed by the nation’s consumers. NCL looks forward to working with the beer industry, other alcohol product manufacturers, and the TTB to ensure that that all alcoholic beverages have nutritional facts on a standardized label by a date certain. We commend the Beer Institute for leading the way.

[1] 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Page 104.

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 to Congress: Strengthen fraud protections for users of P2P payment apps

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August 3, 2021

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242

Washington, DC—With fraud linked to the COVID-19 pandemic at record levels, the National Consumers League (NCL) today cited the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps by scammers as a significant contributor to the problem. In testimony before the Senate’s Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, NCL Vice President John Breyault urged Congress to extend key consumer fraud protections to cover victims of scams who are tricked into sending money via P2P apps.

According to a 2020 Nerdwallet survey, roughly 4 in 5 Americans (79 percent) have used mobile payment apps. The explosive growth of P2P apps has accelerated significantly during the pandemic. Research firm Insider Intelligence estimated that the transaction volume for P2P payments will increase by roughly 37% in 2021, with total annual transaction volume over P2P apps expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2023.

“The same factors that are fueling the rapid growth of P2P payment platforms during the pandemic – low-cost, nearly instantaneous payments made via a mobile app – have made P2P a payment method of choice for scammers,” said Breyault. “If these platforms are making the decision to skew their services towards speed and convenience at the expense of safety and protection, then they must take responsibility for those choices.”

In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission received nearly 62,000 complaints from consumers who sent money to fraudsters via payment apps or similar services. Agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and organizations like the Better Business Bureau have seen similar complaint spikes. Data from security firms Sift and Chargeback suggest that fraud rates on P2P apps may be three to four times higher than on credit or debit cards.

To address this fraud, NCL called on Congress to enact legislation that extends the fraud protections debit and credit card users rely on to users of P2P payment apps. In addition, NCL urged Congress to pass new laws to strengthen consumer protections, including requiring P2P platforms to display information about scams targeting P2P apps and maintain toll-free customer support lines.

“The lack of consumer protections for users of P2P payment platforms must not be ignored,” said Breyault. “It is clear that absent regulatory incentives, effective self-regulation by the P2P services will be stymied in the name of protecting transaction volume growth. Congress must act.”

To read NCL’s testimony , click here.

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.