Memorial dedicated to fallen workers – National Consumers League

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NCL's Sally Greenberg with Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers, on April 28 at the National LAbor College Dedication for Fallen Workers Injured on the job.

By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

More than 5,000 workers die each year on the job – that’s 14 deaths each day of the year. Most of these tragic deaths can be avoided. Now we have a memorial that pays tribute to the fallen worker. At a ceremony at the National Labor College earlier this week, this memorial was dedicated. As we walked in, a delegate from the Maryland State legislature introduced herself – she said “I’m here for personal reasons. My dad was injured as a laborer on the job, and though he could still work at other things, he was never really happy at the site from there on in.”

At the official dedication, three other very compelling people spoke – Liz Shuler, Secretary Treasurer of the AFLCIO, David Michaels, the new director of OSHA, and Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers. Shuler and Michaels made it personal – they each talked about how every worksite death affects families and communities and leaves behind mourning children and spouses whose lives will be changed unalterably.

Cecil Roberts got up and began to speak about workers the way a preacher speaks about God. The audience was spellbound. “You’ve got to work to work, not to die,” he repeated. He spoke about the coal miners at Upper Big Branch mine and how so many of them were his friends.

The college will house the names of those who’ve died on the job and pay tribute to them each year. Without their courage and hard work, so many projects would never have been completed.

2010 National LifeSmarts Championship a great success – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

Once again, our NCL LifeSmarts team outdid itself – the competitions in Miami finished today amid a great deal of excitement and nail biting as the four semifinalists Arizona, Maryland, Kansas, and North Dakota began their morning competitions, leading to the finals where North Dakota and Maryland squared off, and with the Maryland team scoring a decisive victory and becoming our LifeSmarts champions for 2010.

The Maryland team’s coach, a homeschooling and farmer Mom, whose son was captain of the team, explained to me the intense work that went into her kids taking first prize. Since they are all homeschooled, they have more flexibility in their day. She reached out to private and public schools to get their participation, but the officials she talked to said they or their kids were just too busy to devote the kind of time she expected.

So she arranged for her team to meet twice a week for three hours, and they’ve been doing that since last September. The hardest part for the kids is learning the names of federal agencies and what agencies under them do – like the fact that the Bureau of Land Management falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior. If you live in Washington DC, knowing this kind of information is part of your DNA. However, if you live in rural Frederick County, Maryland and you’re 15 or 16 or 17 years old, you have to commit these details to memory. The team visited real people who could teach them valuable information, such as a mortgage officer in a bank and a funeral home owner, to learn about rules regulating funeral home practices under the Federal Trade Commission regulations. They tested each other and researched topics on their own to bring back to the group.

The knowledge these kids from Maryland clearly had gained in preparing for LifeSmarts showed throughout the three days of competitions. They had quick answers to most questions, even on the most complex topics, and seemed at ease with the process. But then again, many of the teams were well prepared and every one of our young participants is surely a savvier consumer after participating in our program.

Our LifeSmarts Team at NCL – led by Lisa Hertzberg and assisted by Brandi Williams, Emily Stevenson, Carol McKay, Theresa Smith, Terry Kush, and Dana Brunson – with a huge assist from Seth Woods, NCL board member and alum of LifeSmarts from Kentucky, surpassed past national competitions by all accounts. Congratulations to the kids, their coaches, their families and thanks to our sponsors for supporting the cause of creating a new generation of consumer-savvy teens.

2010 National LifeSmarts Championship streaming live – National Consumers League

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Starting at 9 am EDT Tuesday, April 27, the state champion LifeSmarts team from Kansas will face off against the team from Maryland in the first semi-final match at the 2010 National LifeSmarts Championship event being held in beautiful Miami Beach, FL.

Following that match is Arizona vs. North Dakota, and the winners of these two semi-finals will compete in the final match. Hosted by the National Consumers League and featuring MSNBC’s Herb Weisbaum as Question Master, the excitement begins bright and early. Watch the drama unfold at www.lifesmarts.org!

Car rental lesson – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

I recently joined a car rental “club” for one of the big rental agencies. This allows me to be dropped off right at my car from the courtesy bus.  So I went online to book a car for this weekend, and the “daily rate” was $51+ a day for three days, starting on Saturday through Tuesday. They wanted a credit card in advance and I didn’t feel like putting my card down, so I called the number instead.

What do I get but a “weekend rate” that’s half of what was being offered online!  Of course, I grabbed it, but the final bill will literally be half of what I would have been charged had I not made the phone call. Once again, the lesson to consumers – Caveat Emptor – let the buyer beware, and don’t just look online when booking hotel or rental cars. Always call and try to negotiate a better rate!

Mobile marketing getting the message out – National Consumers League

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By Rebecca Burkholder, VP for NCL Health Policy

Did you know that Americans now send more text messages than make phone calls? We sent more than 135 billion text messages each month in 2009, up from 78 billion for all of 2008. Companies and organizations are recognizing texting and other mobile marketing techniques as a way to connect with and provide additional services to consumers.  These new marketing techniques were the topic of discussion at a recent briefing I attended sponsored by Google and the Ad Council.

Mobile marketing—marketing via mobile devices, such as cell phones—is the latest trend for reaching consumers on a variety of issues, including health. The Centers for Disease Control has been using texting to send health messages ranging from information on how to safely cook a Thanksgiving turkey to where to get the H1N1 vaccine.

Why turn to mobile to get the message out?  Because it engages people where they are, in real time, and has the ability to reach diverse audiences and allows for tailored messages.  The CDC KnowIt campaign, launched to encourage HIV testing, was a mobile texting campaign that encouraged users to text their zip code to “KnowIt” (566948) and, within seconds, receive a text message identifying an HIV testing site near them.  The campaign was promoted through radio and television ads and via the Internet. Through text messages, consumers can be directed to Web sites with more information or to sign up for more messages.  For information on H1N1, the CDC encouraged consumers (often through Twitter) to sign up for H1N1 text messages and to visit the CDC Web site.

Mobile phones are also being used to help remind consumers when to take their medications. Applications are now available that help consumers keep track of medicines by creating a customized “pillbox,” which can list all medications, identify  them by color and shape, and schedule alarms to tell consumers when to take the pills.

As we become a society that is dependent on mobile phones and devices (we have our mobile phone within arms’ reach 19 hours a day), using text messages and applications may be one of the best ways to provide health information and promote healthy behavior. And, as it is now, mobile marketing allows consumers to choose how (and how often) they are getting health information. Since consumers have more control over what they receive, perhaps they will be more receptive to the messages.

Mining tragedy uncovering worker safety issues – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

I heard on the radio yesterday that the infamous CEO of Massey Energy, Don L. Blankenship, owner of the coal mine that killed 29 workers in West Virginia this month, made $17.5 million last year, not including his deferred compensation  (That 2009 pay represents a $6.8 million raise over 2008 and almost double his compensation package in 2007. Blankenship also has a deferred compensation package valued at $27.2 million at the end of last year.)

This information was contained in a report to shareholders the company is set to release at their annual shareholder meeting. This story prompted me to go back and look at Massey’s shareholder report from last year. I fell upon these ominous sentences in press release on Massey’s 2009 Shareholder Report:

“In response to weak economic conditions, Blankenship reiterated plans to cut operating costs as much as possible while adjusting production levels that are in line with consumer demand. The company has already reduced overtime and implemented a meaningful reduction in base pay and benefits.”

Blankenship is said to be obsessed with the productivity of his mines, checking production levels every few hours. His comments from last year’s shareholder report  portray a company that is trying to squeeze every last drop of profit out of the mine by reducing hours and benefits of the workers—and tragically, in the case of this mining company, short-changing the safety of the miners. An analysis conducted by NPR News found that 10 of Massey’s coal mines had injury rates in 2009 that exceeded the national rate. Miners in four of those mines, including Upper Big Branch, were injured at rates more than double the national rate. The 10 mines together received 2,400 federal safety violation citations last year.

Mining is a dangerous occupation. NCL acknowledged that in a letter to the Mine Safety and Health Administration sent earlier this month. Those who live in the small towns with coal mines often have few employment options. The inherent dangers in mining – methane gas inhalation, black lung disease from coal dust, and mine collapsing – compel the owners to do everything in their power to make the work as safe as possible. Having a union presence inside the mines is a way to ensure better safety, but CEO Blankenship fought to keep the union out, and he succeeded.

If companies won’t make mines safer and if they fight the union, then federal regulations have to be even tougher, mine inspections more frequent, and violations correctly quickly or the mine should not be permitted to operate (while workers should be paid if the mine is shut down for safety reasons). That process has been stymied by the mine owners’ ability to appeal fines and violations ad infinitum, in the process risking the lives of workers. We have seen the tragic results of these failed policies.

Massey Energy and Murray Energy, the two U.S. mining companies with the worst safety records, have been the sites of at least three accidents in the past decade, claiming 40 lives. The two companies together have more than 5,700 hundred safety violations, according to today’s Washington Post.

The juxtaposition of Massey Electric CEO Blankenship’s outsized salary against the myriad safety violations at his mining sites – that just this month has left 29 families without their fathers, brothers, husbands, uncles, and neighbors, is deeply troubling. It’s a shocking example of how, all too often, we allow profits to come before people, and weak regulations and lax enforcement to triumph over worker safety.  NCL welcomes President Obama speaking out for far more rigorous regulation of mines. We stand with the United Mine Workers union in insisting that all miners be represented by unions that will be a voice for safety. We hope this mining tragedy and all that it has uncovered will mean we get serious about mine safety and that no more miners have to die while corporate profits – and CEO salaries – soar.

Changes afoot at 2010 National LifeSmarts Championship – National Consumers League

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By Lisa Hertzberg, LifeSmarts Program Director

Florida-bound LifeSmarts coaches recently joined conference calls to learn more about the upcoming national competition. The energy and enthusiasm were contagious – now we’re really excited to see you all Miami Beach, FL, later this month!

Important format changes are in store for coaches and students traveling to the 2010 National LifeSmarts Championship next week:

  • All teams compete eight times (four buzzer matches, and four assessments) – and those advancing to the quarterfinals compete even more!
  • Point totals are cumulative
  • Teams may challenge answers and be awarded points following competition
  • Winning teams, individual students, and coaches will all be recognized for high achievement

To learn more, view the PowerPoint at our site and the fact sheet.

As we mentioned on the coach call, students can expect to work hard, and they should realize that they won’t know all the answers (and that’s OK!), but we are certain that they will arrive in Florida ready for the challenge!

Breastfeeding a public health issue – National Consumers League

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A study published recently brings news that breastfeeding could save 900 lives a year and billions of dollars if 90 percent of women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life. These findings are from the journal Pediatrics, which determined that there are hundreds of deaths and many more illnesses from health problems that breastfeeding could prevent – like asthma, diabetes, ear infections, stomach viruses, or even childhood leukemia.

The analysis studied the prevalence of 10 common childhood illnesses, costs of treating those diseases, including hospitalization, and the level of disease protection other studies have linked with breastfeeding. The $13 billion in estimated losses due to the low breastfeeding rate includes an economist’s calculation partly based on lost potential lifetime wages, at $10.56 million per death.

Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections; it also can affect insulin levels in the blood, which may make breast-fed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity. One or two critical things the study failed to note – breastfeeding is FREE. Check out the prices of infant formula some time – it’s expensive!  And it doesn’t provide nearly the benefits that mother’s milk contains.

Secondly, breastfeeding is a wonderful bonding experience for baby and mom. We need to do so much more to encourage women to nurse their children – like a major education campaign for starters about the benefits of breastfeeding. And marketing baby formula to new moms should be vastly curtailed in hospitals and doctors’ offices. Happily, the new health reform legislation encourages breastfeeding by requiring that employers create a private space for working women to nurse their children. And under a new provision the Joint Commission, a hospital accrediting agency, hospitals may be evaluated on their efforts to ensure that newborns are fed only breast milk before they’re sent home.

“The magnitude of health benefits linked to breast-feeding is vastly underappreciated,” said lead author Dr. Melissa Bartick, an internist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Bartick calls breastfeeding a public health issue, and I couldn’t agree more. About 43 percent of U.S. mothers do at least some breastfeeding for six months, but only 12 percent follow government guidelines recommending that babies receive only breast milk for six months.

Why do moms either never start or quit breastfeeding early? It’s not always easy to get started – the kid and the mom have to figure it out together, and it can be frustrating when the baby won’t “latch on.” It also can be messy and you have to keep up with it, which means pumping at work if you’re a working mom, which can be a pain. But as this study shows, it’s the best thing for the baby, and we have to do a much better job of communicating the importance of breastfeeding to expectant and new moms. In short, there are ways to address all of these challenges.

The pediatrics academy says babies should be given a chance to start breastfeeding immediately after birth. Bartick said that often doesn’t happen, and at many hospitals newborns are offered formula even when their mothers intend to breast-feed. “Hospital practices need to change to be more in line with evidence-based care,” Bartick said. “We really shouldn’t be blaming mothers for this.” Bartrick’s study is invaluable. No, not every woman can successfully breast-feed and she shouldn’t feel guilty if it doesn’t work for her. But the statistics in this study demonstrate that we need to do all that we can to ensure that women who want to and can nurse their infants are given all the encouragement in the world to succeed.

A sucker for public opinion research – National Consumers League

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By Mimi Johnson, Director of NCL Health Policy

The other night, the land line rang and, though I did not recognize the name or number, I answered.  My number is on the ‘Do Not Call’ list, which has – for the most part – kept the telemarketers away.  Rather than someone trying to sell me something, I now frequently get calls with people seeking my opinion.

While many might cringe and eagerly hang up when they hear that phrase ‘do you have a few minutes …’, I get a little excited.  Of course I have a few minutes to share my opinion.  I grew up always wondering who on earth was being polled about this or that, because it certainly wasn’t me.   In the last year or two, I’ve participated in polls and surveys about politics, health reform and the health industry, the regional power company, among other things.

Last night, I was able to share my thoughts on transportation in the region.  As the public transit system prepares to make cuts to services and raise fares, and the roads grow more clogged with cars each day, I surely had a thing or two to say!

At NCL, we frequently rely on consumer surveys to gauge consumer opinions on and understanding of various issues.  With this information, we are able to advocate on your behalf.  We testify before Congress or federal agencies, and we produce educational materials to address your questions and concerns.  Recognizing the value of this information, I have definitely grown to appreciate those “pesky” calls a bit more.

So, the next time you’re settling down to relax at night and the phone rings, think twice about ignoring it or cutting the call short.  As a savvy consumer, you should take every opportunity afforded to you to share your thoughts and opinions about products and services. But if you don’t want to participate in these surveys, that’s up to you — check out this amusing piece from the Consumerist.

Child Nutrition Act a positive step for kids’ health – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

NCL’s Courtney Brein – the Linda Golodner Food Safety and Nutrition fellow – is working day and night with consumer colleagues to support reauthorization of  the Child Nutrition Act. The bill is before the Senate as we speak, and the House of Representatives will take up the issue while or shortly after the Senate takes action.

The legislation gives the Agriculture Department new powers to set long overdue nutritional standards for any food sold on school grounds, with an effort to phase out those foods that contribute to childhood obesity: sweetened drinks and high-fat, high-sodium snacks.

The bill expands use of locally grown or raised foods, supports school gardens and use of organic food. It will also increase funding for programs to improve the health and nutrition of our kids who eat school lunches each day. The President has requested an additional $10 billion over the next decade for child nutrition.

Schools cannot make kids fit or healthy all by themselves. But they can set the parameters for what makes a healthy meal. Because The Act is reauthorized only once every five years, this is an important opportunity to shape the future of school food, particularly in light of First Lady Michelle Obama’s call to end childhood obesity.

The annual survey of the School Nutrition Association found that “although rising food, labor, and indirect costs are significant challenges for school nutrition programs, healthy food and beverage items continue to increase in popularity and participation is increasing; nearly half of respondents report increased overall lunch and breakfast average daily participation in the 2007-2008 school year.”

We should help to support the movement to create meals – breakfast and lunch at school are sometimes the only meals a child will eat during the day – where fresh, healthy menus are the norm and all children have access to comprehensive nutrition education that instills in them an understanding of what it means to exercise, eat healthy foods, and live healthy lifestyles. We urge members of Congress to support the Child Nutrition Act.