National Consumers League supports legislation to end the tipped wage in Montgomery County, MD

/in , , , , , /by

October 17, 2023

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 202-207-2831

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League’s (NCL) CEO Sally Greenberg will testify today, October 17, before the Montgomery County Council in support of phasing out the tipped wage and providing all tipped workers the minimum wage.

Tipped workers in Montgomery County are scheduled to appear before the county council today to share their thoughts about Bill 35-23. The legislation would adjust the calculation of the minimum wage for tipped workers and phase something known as the tip credit amount.

NCL believes that the tipped wage is bad policy and keeps servers and other tipped workers at the mercy of customers’ whims on tipping. NCL also supported Initiative 82 in the District of Columbia which passed overwhelmingly and is being implemented.

As one Council member in DC noted, when considering phasing out the tipped wage, the current law “is an invitation [for employers] to cheat.” According to surveys here in the county, more than a third of Montgomery County workers say their tips did not bring their wages up to the minimum wage. In fact, in Montgomery County, restaurant workers are twice as likely to live in poverty.  The bill, introduced by Councilmember Will Jawando, will end the tipped minimum wage gradually over the next several years.

Greenberg’s full testimony can be found here.

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)
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 nclnet.org.

 

 

 

National Consumers League calls on auto industry to bargain fairly with workers

/in , , , , , /by

September 28, 2023

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 202-207-2831

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s longest-operating consumer organization, calls on the auto industry to bargain fairly with the very workers who have helped the industry become extremely profitable.

Though top-scale assembly workers earn $32.32 an hour, lower-tier workers who joined the company after 2007 earn less than $17 an hour. By comparison, many McDonald’s franchises are paying starting workers $15 per hour.

For years, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union gave up general pay raises and lost cost-of-living wage increases to help the companies control costs during tougher economic times when the industry struggled. Now, the industry is thriving. The “Big 3” auto companies—Ford, GM, and Stellantis—saw profits skyrocket 92 percent from 2013 to 2022, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Total profits of the Big 3 were $250 billion for the decade.

Today, the striking UAW union is asking for 36-percent raises in general pay over four years. Compare that to Detroit’s three automakers that have raised CEO pay by 40 percent over the past four years. Workers should get similar raises.

CEO salaries dwarf the pay of even the best-paid assembly line workers. General Motors (GM) CEO Mary Barra was paid $28.98 million in 2022; Ford CEO James Farley received nearly $21 million; and Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares’ 2022 pay was $24 million.  Barra’s pay was 362 times the median employee earnings of $80,034 at GM.

“We believe that those who work on the assembly line building America’s cars deserve the same percent of pay increases that CEOs receive,” said Sally Greenberg, CEO of NCL.  “We support those who make our cars and wish them victory in their valiant battle for fair wages and benefits.”

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)
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 nclnet.org.

NCL stands with Swifties in testimony before Congress

/in , , /by

September 27, 2023

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 202-207-2831

WASHINGTON, DC – Testifying before a Congressional committee, the National Consumers League (NCL) today urged support for comprehensive ticketing reform legislation to fix a “rigged” live event industry. NCL, America’s oldest consumer and worker advocacy organization, described how the November 2022 meltdown of Ticketmaster’s ticketing system during the on-sale for Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour exposed the “ugly underbelly” of the industry.

“There has never been a better time to reform live event ticketing,” said John Breyault, NCL’s Vice President for Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud. “While the Taylor Swift meltdown may have been an anomaly, it exposed the ugly underbelly of a live event industry that is rigged to maximize profits for a select few and frustration for everyone else.”

Of the three event ticketing bills considered by the subcommittee, Breyault called the “BOSS and SWIFT ACT of 2023,” sponsored by Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-NJ9), Frank Pallone (D-NJ6), Julia Brownley (D-CA26), and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) “the single most comprehensive pro-fan and pro-competition ticketing legislation before Congress.” NCL supports the BOSS and SWIFT ACT because it includes a range of ticket industry reforms, including requiring better disclosure of ticket refund policies, shedding daylight on ticket “holdbacks” that siphon tickets away from the average fan, clamping down on unauthorized speculative ticket sales, and helping protect consumers from Ticketmaster’s anti-competitive efforts to extend its monopoly into the secondary ticket market.

NCL also voiced support for two other ticketing bills: Representatives Gus Bilirakis’ (R-FL12) and Jan Schakowsky’s (D-IL9) TICKET ACT, which would mandate all-in pricing of tickets and better disclosure of speculative ticket sales, as well as draft legislation that would ban speculative ticketing outright, while carving out ticket-buying services.

In addition to the ticketing bills, NCL testified in support of Representative David Valadao’s (D-CA22) Online Dating Safety Act of 2023 which would notify users of online dating apps that someone they messaged on the app was banned; Representative Young Kim’s (R-CA40) No Hidden Fees on Extra Expenses for Stays Act, which would mandate all-in pricing in the hotel and short-term lodging industries; and Representative Lisa McClain’s (R-MI9) and Representative Mary Peltola’s (D-AK) WIPPES Act, which would require manufacturers of cleaning wipes to label their cleaning wipes as non-flushable in order to protect wastewater infrastructure and consumers’ plumbing systems from damage.

NCL’s written testimony is available here.

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)
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 nclnet.org.

NCL urges DC Council to reject anti-consumer and anti-worker bill

/in , , , , , /by

June 9, 2023

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 202-207-2831

Washington, DC – In preparation for a June 8 hearing, NCL submitted a letter to the DC Council urging that the council reject Bill 25-0280, the “Workers and Restaurants are Priorities Act of 2023.” NCL believes this bill is both anti-consumer and anti-worker and it sets a dangerous precedent for carving out an exemption to our DC Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA) for the sole protection of restaurants.

The letter can be found here.

DeSantis’s anti-vax claims are wrong and dangerous, says NCL

/in , , , /by

December 22, 2022

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 703-298-2614

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Consumers League was very disappointed to learn that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that he is requesting a statewide grand jury investigation into alleged “crimes and wrongdoings” relating to the COVID-19 vaccine. He is forming a public health policy committee whose charge is to review public health recommendations and guidance made by federal health experts and agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The committee will be overseen by the state’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who himself has repeatedly made anti-vaccination claims.

“For a public official of Governor DeSantis’s stature to make these baseless anti-vaccination claims is wrong and dangerous,” says NCL Chief Executive Officer Sally Greenberg. “The governor has reversed course from supporting the roll out of the COVID vaccine and now is raising questions, against all scientific evidence, about the efficacy and safety of these critically important medicines. COVID vaccinations have been found overwhelmingly effective in reducing the risk of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has killed more than 1 million Americans, most of whom were unvaccinated.”

In a study of  4,000 healthcare personnel, police, firefighters, and other essential workers, the CDC found that the vaccines reduced the risk of infection by 80 percent after one shot. Protection increased to 90 percent following the second dose. The findings are consistent with clinical trial results and studies showing strong effectiveness in Israel and the United Kingdom, and in initial studies of healthcare workers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and in Southern California.

Protecting public health remains one of NCL’s focus, and vaccinations are one of the most effective public health prevention tools available to keep consumers and workers safe from severe and potentially deadly diseases.

We call upon all officials – including Governor DeSantis – who hold positions of responsibility and visibility, to rely on evidence-based medicine and science before making unfounded claims.

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)
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 https://nclnet.org.

Consumer groups obtain TTB commitment to issue rulemakings on mandatory alcohol labeling

/in , , , , , /by

November 21, 2022

Media contact: National Consumers League – Katie Brown, katie@nclnet.org, (202) 823-8442

Washington D.C. — A coalition of consumer groups today announced an important victory for the American public: the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has agreed to issue proposed rules requiring standardized alcohol content, calorie, and allergen labeling on all beer, wine and distilled spirits products. TTB also agreed to begin preliminary rulemaking on mandatory ingredient labeling.

TTB’s decision comes after three national consumer organizations – the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, and the National Consumers League – sued TTB on October 3, 2022, for failing to act on a 2003 petition to require alcohol labeling with the same basic transparency consumers expect for non-alcoholic beverages and food products. CSPI’s litigation department filed the complaint on behalf of the three organizations in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Based on evidence that alcohol is a significant source of empty calories and increases the risk of certain cancers, alcohol use disorders, traffic accidents, and severe injuries, the 2003 petition specifically called for listing the amount of alcohol and calories per serving, the percent alcohol by volume, the serving size, the number of standard drinks per container, and other needed information to make fully informed drinking decisions. These consumer groups also petitioned for an ingredients listing on all alcoholic beverages, something that is a standard feature for other food products and particularly important to those with allergies or other chemical sensitivities.

As a result of the lawsuit, TTB committed to publishing three rulemakings covering mandatory nutrient and alcohol content labeling, mandatory allergen labeling, and mandatory ingredient labeling within the next year.

In addition to the lawsuit, the groups applauded the House and Senate Appropriations Committee for including report language in the FY23 Financial Services and General Government bill urging the agency to take action on this critical rule.

“This is a groundbreaking day for consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League. “Consumer advocates have been trying for 19 years to get this far. Now there is light at the end of the tunnel. We thank the TTB for finally taking this action and look forward to working closely with the agency, the industry, and other consumer advocates to make sure this is done right and that consumers are the winners.”

“All we have requested over these two long decades is the kind of information that consumers expect when purchasing other foods and beverages,” said Peter Lurie, Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “We hope TTB can move quickly on this long overdue action.”

“Better labeling requirements for alcoholic beverages will allow consumers to make more informed decisions,” said Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy at Consumer Federation of America. “Consumers have a right to consistent, reliable, and relevant information about the products they buy. For too long, the alcohol industry has kept consumers in the dark, and TTB’s announcement is an important step forward.” 

The 2003 citizen petition was submitted to the Treasury Department by CSPI, CFA, and NCL and a coalition of 66 other organizations and eight individuals, including four deans of schools of public health.

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)

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 https://nclnet.org.

NCL applauds federal agency’s decision to require mandatory labeling on all alcoholic beverages

/in , , , , , /by

November 18, 2022

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, (703) 298-2614

Washington D.C. — Today the National Consumers League hailed the decision by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the federal agency that oversees alcohol labeling, to require mandatory labeling on all alcoholic beverages as a “great consumer victory.” NCL is grateful to the agency for this welcome – albeit long overdue – decision.

In 2003, NCL and other consumer groups filed a petition calling on TTB to provide consumers with robust nutritional information about the alcoholic beverages they drink. Today, 19 years later, the agency acted to grant the petition. The November 17 letter from TTB can be viewed here.

NCL and other consumer groups pursued two avenues this year to get movement on the labeling of alcoholic beverages: filing a lawsuit this past fall against the agency and working with Congress.

NCL also thanks the Senate and House Appropriations Committees for their inclusion of language in the Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Services and General Government Funding Bill that urges the agency to move toward mandatory nutritional labeling of alcoholic beverages.

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)

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 https://nclnet.org.

National Consumers League letter in support of Gilbride to DC Circuit Court of Appeals

/in , /by

NCL sent the following letter to the Counsel of the President in support of Karla Gilbride’s nomination to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

March 11, 2021

Ms. Dana Remus
Counsel to the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Re: Support for the nomination of Karla Gilbride to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

Dear Ms. Remus:

The National Consumers League urges the Biden Administration to nominate Ms. Karla Gilbride to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. As an organization founded in 1899 to advocate for the interests of consumers and workers, NCL believes that Ms. Gilbride would be an outstanding judge on one of the United States’ most important courts.

Ms. Gilbride’s legal acumen, combined with her compelling character traits of perseverance and integrity, make her uniquely suited to serve on our nation’s courts.  She has devoted her career to representing the underserved and most vulnerable members of our society. From her early legal work representing disabled Americans fighting for equal treatment and opportunity, to her extraordinary appellate work on behalf of citizens returning from incarceration who, as consumers, were being charged outrageous prepaid card fees, to her successful legal work to hold predatory debt collectors accountable, Ms. Gilbride has demonstrated not only superior oral and written legal skills, but also an unyielding dedication to protecting and serving the public interest.

As the executive director of the National Consumers League, I have witnessed Ms. Gilbride’s stalwart legal advocacy on behalf of consumers. She is a precise and thoughtful legal thinker. Many of us in the consumer community have admired her ability to explain complex legal concepts in basic terms, have benefitted from her willingness to comment on draft briefs and help other attorneys prepare for oral argument. She is a skilled advocate, a generous colleague, and a powerful public ambassador to policymakers on issues that are important to consumers.

Our federal courts must reflect the full range of professional legal experience, including those with legal services backgrounds. Karla Gilbride, who has used her prodigious legal skills to effectively represent marginalized people while also combatting challenges in her own life, is exactly the kind of judge the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals needs.

We thank you for your consideration and ask if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Sally Greenberg

Executive Director

National Consumers League

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)

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.
[/av_textblock]

MLK legacy needed in 2021 more than ever

/in , /by

By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

As our nation celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Day this week, let’s not forget the beautiful legacy of Dr. King at this difficult time in America.

Dr. King was a role model for all of us in how to bring about change peacefully. “True pacifism,” or “nonviolent resistance is a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love,” Dr. King wrote. What America needs now—perhaps more than ever before—is Dr. King’s message and his devotion to nonviolent racial equality.

Here in Washington, DC, the 704+ thousand of us who call this city home (and still have no voting rights in Congress) are surrounded by tall fences, members of the National Guard carrying AK 47s, and barbed wire. This is sadly necessary to protect the President and Vice President at their January 20 Inauguration from violence by the likes of the white supremacist mobs who were wearing Trump hats, carrying Confederate flags, and who stormed the Capitol on January 6. Many chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” Mr. Trump’s own Vice President, and searched for Speaker Nancy Pelosi in hopes of assassinating her.

How ironic that as we celebrate the life of the remarkable American icon and civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, the Memorial in his honor on the National Mall must be closed due to threats of violence.

King taught us that violence is not inevitable nor necessary to effect social change. Over the past year, 93 percent of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful. Dr. King would have been proud of that.

So here’s to Dr. Martin Luther King, who was and remains a role model to so many Americans and an inspiration to millions more.

The Board and staff of the National Consumers League expresses condolences to Congressman Raskin on loss of his beloved son

/in , /by

For immediate release: January 7, 2020

Media contact: National Consumers League – Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242 or Taun Sterling, tauns@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League wishes to express our deepest condolences to our dear friend and colleague, Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and his wife, Sarah Bloom Raskin, on the tragic loss of their beloved son Tommy on New Year’s Eve.

Tommy was a wildly creative, energetic, passionate, brilliant young man with a wonderful sense of humor and so much promise. He was a treasured son, brother, grandson, cousin, and friend to so many. We mourn the loss of this outstanding young man. Tommy left this world far too soon, but we know that because of him, the world is a better place.

Once again, our hearts break for Tommy’s parents, sisters, and friends. Our thoughts are with the Raskin family during this terrible time.

###

About the National Consumers League (NCL)

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.