NCL’s Greenberg addresses NACPI at annual meeting – National Consumers League

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July 14, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

New Orleans, LA — Focusing her remarks on strategies for prevention of consumer fraud in mortgages, car loans, Internet and telemarketing, Sally Greenberg, National Consumers League Executive Director, addressed the annual meeting of North American Consumer Protection Investigators, many of whom work in state attorneys general offices and other state and local agencies, representing 22 states, Canada and Bermuda.

“The problem of consumer fraud is rampant. It affects over 30 million consumers, 13 percent of U.S. adults. According to the FTC, and African Americans and Hispanics are victimized more than whites,” said Greenberg. “According to complaints at NCL’s Fraud Center, fake check scams, prizes and sweepstakes, and advance fee loans top our lists of scams that prey on desperate consumers enduring increasingly difficult economic times.”

Greenberg called on the consumer investigators to work with NCL and consumer protection lawyers and open up investigations related to mortgage lending and auto loan fraud. “It’s disappointing that even many reputable companies are entangled in financing and other schemes that rip off consumers. All of us who work on consumer protection must hold them accountable.”

Greenberg also told the group, “The National Consumers League gets 60-70 online complaints each day from people who’ve been victims of fake check scams, phony lotteries claiming that the consumer has won a big cash prize, and sweetheart swindles where a lonely consumer is talked into giving large sums of money to a supposed love interest abroad. Sometimes we can save them from becoming victimized. More often, we can only report the scam to law enforcement. The con artists are very, very good at telling people what they want to hear.”

The National Consumers League, which is the nation’s oldest consumer organization, founded in 1899, hosts the Web site, Fraud.org, and Fakechecks.org. Fraud.org sees 25,000 unique visits each week. The NCL also hosts the Alliance Against Fraud, bringing together consumers, business, government, labor, and nonprofits to share strategies and provide the latest updates on emerging fraud schemes.

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About the National Consumers League

Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL to teens: avoid these five worst summer jobs – National Consumers League

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July 10, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) has issued its annual report for 2008 on the Five Worst Teen Jobs, with recent accidental deaths in agriculture keeping work in fields and processing at the top of the list for the second year running. Based on statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a teen American worker is injured on the job every two minutes, and one teen dies from a workplace injury every five days. Reid Maki, NCL’s Director for Social Responsibility and Coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition, reminded teens and parents that it’s not too late to focus on safety when considering a summer job.

“More than half a million youth help harvest our nation’s crops each year. Farms may look bucolic and pretty, but they have proven too often to be dangerous workplaces, especially in fields where heavy machinery like tractors are used,” said Maki. “Summer provides numerous opportunities for young workers across the country to make some extra money, whether it’s in the fields, in a retail store, or making French fries in a fast food restaurant. It’s crucial for teens and their parents to understand the dangers of summer work, especially when it comes to the jobs that have made our list.”

Maki cited two 2008 examples of fatal incidents involving young agriculture workers, which helped put fieldwork and processing at the top of this year’s list: In May, Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, a 17-year-old farmworker died in San Joaquin County, California of heat stroke after working nine hours in a vineyard. Jimenez was pregnant at the time. In January, Edilberto Cardenas, 17, was killed in a Groveland, Florida citrus grove. It was his first day on the job. Cardenas was emptying bags of oranges into a truck when then truck backed over him.

NCL’s Five Worst Teen Jobs of 2008

  1. Agriculture: Fieldwork and Processing
  1. Traveling Youth Crews
  1. Construction and Work in Heights
  1. Driver/Operator: Forklifts, Tractors, and ATVs
  1. Outside Helper: Landscaping, Groundskeeping, and Lawn Service

The Five Worst Jobs of 2008 list includes both jobs that are permitted for teens by law and those that are prohibited by child labor laws, underscoring the need for teens, parents, and employers to be aware of existing protections. For example, operating forklifts, driving farm equipment, working on roofs, and applying or handling pesticides on farms are currently outlawed. Furthermore, despite urging by advocates for Congress and the Department of Labor to prohibit the what are know as the “most dangerous forms of child labor,” some of the activities on the list remain legally permitted work for teens, including work at heights, poultry catching and processing, driving tractors and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), operating chain saws (prohibited for only use on wood) and working on traveling youth crews that sell magazines or other products. All are legal work for minors, despite compelling statistics about the heightened threat of occupational injuries and deaths to working youth.

NCL compiles the Five Worst Teen Jobs each year using government statistics and reports, results from the Child Labor Coalition’s annual survey of state labor departments, and news accounts of injuries and deaths.

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About the National Consumers League
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Save the planet! (And some money) – National Consumers League

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July 1, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – Global warming is a major challenge, but consumers can take simple steps to be a good global citizen, help protect the planet, and save money in the process. This month, the National Consumers League is helping consumers adopt environmentally-friendly practices that are also friendly to their wallets in NCL’s “2008 Consumer Calendar: Do We Have Tips for You!”

NCL offers a list of tips for going green, such as:

  • Tune up. Keep your call well-tuned and your tires properly inflated to get better gas mileage and cut pollution.
  • Switch to energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs, which last longer.
  • Turn off the TV and other appliances when you’re not using them. Use appliances’ — like computers’ — energy-saving modes.

The nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization, NCL works to educate people about how to make wise decisions in today’s marketplace. Each month, NCL’s Web site, www.nclnet.org, will feature the calendar and tips for the month. Covering a range of subjects from medication safety, to avoiding scams, the tips are sponsored by major companies, government agencies, and organizations. The July tips about global warming were sponsored by Microsoft.

The print version of the calendar was distributed to consumers free of charge through agencies and organizations around the country. There are no printed copies of the calendar remaining.

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About the National Consumers League
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Event celebrates 100-year landmark case laying groundwork for workplace protections – National Consumers League

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June 24, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League will host a historic gathering of feminist scholars of the Progressive Era, labor activists, and leading gender discrimination lawyers at Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC on June 25, 2008. The League, the nation’s oldest consumer organization, will mark the 100th Anniversary of Muller vs. Oregon, the first Supreme Court decision to uphold limits on the hours women workers could be forced to toil in factories and laundries. The experts gathered will also discuss the priority issues for labor and working families as Americans look toward new leadership in the White House.

Early leaders of the NCL worked in 1908 with then-attorney Louis Brandeis to write a successful brief in Muller to the Supreme Court. The brief was filled with data on the ill-effects of a 16- and 17-hour workday on women, their families, and their communities. The Muller brief was the first “Brandeis Brief,” a document that uses social evidence instead of law to make the case for legal reforms.

The event is the first time historians, lawyers, and labor leaders will come together to debate and discuss the effects of Muller on workplace regulations for women and ultimately all workers. Muller set the stage for the minimum wage laws and ultimately the landmark Fair Labor Standards Act, but was used in subsequent years by the courts to justify restricting women’s access to certain jobs.

Speakers at the conference include California Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, co-founder and chair of the Working Families Coalition in the House, Joslyn Williams, head of Metropolitan Washington, DC AFL-CIO, National Labor Relations Board member Wilma Liebman, Ann Brown, former Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director of American Rights at Work and others. Event co-sponsors include Bernstein & Lipsett, AFL-CIO, UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, Alliance for Justice, United Food and Commercial Workers, and others.

The conference is free and open to the public. Online registration has closed. Please call Dana Brunson at (202) 835-3323 for more information or to secure your space at the conference.

WHAT: Muller v. Oregon Centennial Conference

Hosted by the National Consumers League

WHO: Academics, labor professionals, consumer and worker activists, students, and legal professionals are invited to attend this free one-day conference.

WHEN: June 25, 2008. Doors open at 8:15 am. Event runs from 9:15 am to 4:30 pm.

12:45 Keynote lunch Speaker: Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA)

WHERE: Georgetown University Law Center, McDonough Hall, Hart Auditorium

600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001

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About the National Consumers League

Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Bad advice from retailers on DTV conversion could cost consumers millions – National Consumers League

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June 17, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—Consumers aren’t getting accurate information from retailers about converting their televisions from analog to digital (DTV conversion), and that will cost them dearly, according to the National Consumers League (NCL). In the past week, NCL staff conducted an informal survey of Washington, DC-area major television retailers to test whether consumers inquiring about the DTV conversion were being given the right advice.

“We are just months away from the transition to digital television, and the fact that consumers whose screens will go blank come February 17, 2009 aren’t being given accurate information is frankly shocking,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg.

Over the past week, NCL staffers called or made in-person visits to seven1 major TV retailers in the Washington, DC area to inquire about the DTV transition, how to prepare for it, and whether they need converter boxes. While the boxes cost around $50 – $60 retail, the federal government is providing two free coupons for each household, worth $40 each, for use toward the purchase of up to two digital-to-analog converter boxes. Retailers are supposed to tell customers about the coupon and encourage them to apply before the consumer invests in the full cost of the box, which could save up to $80.00 per household. But NCL found that some stores’ employees failed to mention the TV Converter Box Coupon Program run by the federal government.

Adding insult to injury, the salespeople also told NCL staff that all consumers who don’t subscribe to a paid television service (cable or satellite) would require the converter box equipment; this is wrong. Most late-model televisions, particularly those manufactured since 2004, are likely to be digital and do not require the converters. In one case, an employee said that any television that does not have a flat screen will require the box, another glaring inaccuracy.

“We are particularly concerned about elderly, low-income, and non-native English speakers,” Greenberg said. “They may be more likely to have older TVs that use only an analog signal, and they desperately need the savings these coupons provide. Our survey suggests they won’t get these savings unless retailers do a far better job of training their sales staff.”

Greenberg also noted, “Even consumers who are aware of the transition and do their homework about what questions to ask the retailers may be getting information that is inaccurate, and that could cost them a bundle.”

NCL is asking retailers to go back to the drawing board, to set up rigorous training for all of their sales force, and to include training protocols for any new hires that are selling televisions and TV equipment. The sales staff should provide the following information to consumers:

  • If you have cable or satellite, you don’t need a converter box.
  • If you have a television manufactured after 2004, you very likely don’t need a converter box, but check the television and/or manual to be sure that you have a digital tuner.  Some televisions manufactured before 2004 have digital tuners, but not very many.
  • Flat screen televisions and high definition monitors may be analog so consult your manual or the TV itself
  • If you do need a converter box, you can apply for two $40 coupons per household at www.DTV.gov. Converter boxes typically cost from $50 to $60 so it pays to apply for the coupon, which you can do online, by mail, by phone or by fax. Your coupon should arrive within two weeks, and they expire 90 days after they are mailed.

1 Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Circuit City, Kmart, Sears

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About the National Consumers League
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL to DOL: investigate allegations of child labor violations in Kosher slaughterhouse – National Consumers League

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June 4, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC— The National Consumers League, the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization, has called on the Department of Labor to investigate alleged child labor violations at the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, which was raided by federal immigration officers on May 12. The letter to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, written by NCL’s Reid Maki, Director of Social Responsibility and Fair Labor Standards and coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition, follows:

Dear Madame Secretary:

I am the coordinator of the Washington-based Child Labor Coalition, a coalition of 30 organizations that have coalesced to fight abusive child labor here and abroad. The coalition has been operated by the National Consumers League, the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy group, for the last 19 years.

It has come to our attention that children and teens were allegedly working in the Agriprocessors Pottsville, Iowa slaughterhouse raided by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 12, 2008. According to the office of Senator Tom Harkin, some 18 children and teens are believed to have been employed in the plant when it was raided.

The members of the Child Labor Coalition are concerned about the presence of children working in slaughterhouses, which are known to be among the most dangerous workplaces in America. It is our understanding that the Pottsville plant has a long history of violating U.S. labor law. We urge your office to investigate fully the possibility that minors were employed in the Pottsville plant. We would hope that your office would confirm the extent of the child labor employment and determine the specific jobs the young workers were asked to perform. We believe the Department should assess the danger of those employment tasks and whether the youth were subjected to abusive treatment.

We are also concerned that the ICE raid appears not to have been coordinated with the Department of Labor. The ICE arrests and the movement of key witnesses may jeopardize the Department of Labor’s ability to fully and effectively investigate whether child labor was occurring at the plant. In our view, the question of whether undocumented workers are employed in a factory should never come in the way of the very serious possibility that plant owners may be violating child labor laws and risking the health of young workers.

We respectfully ask you to investigate the child labor allegations at the Agriprocessors plant and prosecute any violations of child labor law to the fullest extent possible. As the coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition, I would like to extend an invitation to you and your representatives to present the findings of your investigation to the members of the Coalition at an upcoming meeting. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you in any event.

Sincerely,
Reid Maki
Coordinator, Child Labor Coalition
Director, Social Responsibility

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About the National Consumers League
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Knock-knock: don’t let deception in the door! – National Consumers League

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June 1, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – Products sold door-to-door range from household items to cosmetics. Some salespeople are honest, and others aren’t. June’s tips in the National Consumers League’s “2008 Consumer Calendar: Do We Have Tips for You!” help consumers avoid being scammed by dishonest salespeople.

NCL teaches consumers how to identify salespeople from ethical door-to-door sales companies. These salespeople will:

  • Identify themselves and the company’s products they represent by name. They should explain the purpose of their visit upfront and present proper identification.
  • Respect your wishes. It’s a sign of fraud if they try to pressure you into buying something on the spot or refuse to honor your request to end the sales presentation.
  • Not use misleading or deceptive tactics. Be wary of claims that: 
    • You’re the winner of a contest you never actually entered.

    • Some of your money will go to charity if the salesperson doesn’t have any proof of a connection with a legitimate charitable organization.

    The nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization, NCL works to educate people about how to make wise decisions in today’s marketplace. Each month, NCL’s Web site, www.nclnet.org, will feature the calendar and tips for the month. Covering a range of subjects from medication safety, to avoiding scams, the tips are sponsored by major companies, government agencies, and organizations. The June tips about legitimate salespeople were sponsored by The Southwestern Company.The print version of the calendar was distributed to consumers free of charge through agencies and organizations around the country. There are no printed copies of the calendar remaining.

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About the National Consumers League
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Job-hunting teens: Is this summer job right for you? – National Consumers League

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May 22, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, D.C. – Responding to accounts of scams and crimes committed against consumers by traveling sales crews—and risks faced by crew members themselves—the National Consumers League and Direct Selling Education Foundation have teamed up to create educational materials to help consumers and teen workers distinguish reputable door-to-door sales and charitable sales from unethical companies. Opportunities with legitimate companies that follow a code of ethics, such as those provided by Direct Selling Association member companies, are a great way for many young workers to earn income. Unfortunately, as a sluggish economy strains the wallets of consumers, advocates caution teenagers in search of a summer job against accepting offers of employment by traveling sales crews.

“NCL’s long history of fighting for the rights of workers and consumers finds us fittingly warning both workers and consumers about traveling sales crews. Consumers certainly don’t want to buy products from exploited and often physically abused young workers, and those who do are unlikely to receive the very magazines they paid for from these disreputable outfits,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director.

In two separate recent incidents, a 25-year-old magazine salesman was charged with raping a teenager in Durham, SC, and a 28-year-old magazine salesman pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 14-year-old boy on his way home from school with intent to sexually abuse him in Vista, CA.

Many dishonest companies capitalize on the positive reputations of established door-to-door sales companies and the generous response of consumers in supporting charities. Salespeople may seem charming and friendly, offering a compelling sales pitch, or requesting support for a program to help keep kids off drugs or to teach them about entrepreneurship. They may press residents to help them win a trip or prizes. These traveling sales crews quickly sweep in and out of neighborhoods. The companies recruit children, teenagers and young adults to sell products such as magazine subscriptions, cleaning supplies, and candy. They often falsely claim to support programs to help kids or raise money for charity, a religious institution, hospital, or local school.

NCL advises consumers to check that the company or charity is legitimate before responding to its sales pitch. A legitimate, ethical salesperson will:

  • have a solicitor’s permit, if one is required in the city. Most non-reputable companies do not possess a local permit to sell.
  • provide literature, which displays the company or charity’s street address and other contact information.
  • present identification that shows he or she is affiliated with or a representative of the company, charity, or school
  • be happy to set an appointment for another time to discuss their product, which will give the consumer time to research the company or charity by contacting your Better Business Bureau or Attorney General’s office to see if there are complaints against the company/charity.

NCL offers these tips and more in two new brochures (Door-to-door safety for consumers, and Is this job right for you? for teens) produced through an unrestricted educational grant from the Direct Selling Education Foundation, to help consumers and potential workers distinguish between a legitimate company and the scams of a traveling sales crew here. Consumers can request individual copies of the new brochures at https://www.dsef.org/ContactUs/

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About the National Consumers League

Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Sally Greenberg selected for FDA Risk Communication Advisory Committee – National Consumers League

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May 19, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC — Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League, has been appointed to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Risk Communication Advisory Committee.

“I am honored to join this Advisory committee, which was mandated by Congress, and look forward to further working with this prestigious group of experts to advocate for a robust system of information and proper warnings on drugs. I am especially interested in the Committee’s work on getting critical risk information to special populations of consumers who might not have access because of age, language barriers, low literacy or disability. The bottom line is that consumers need and want to know about the risks and benefits of the drugs they are taking and the medical devices they are using,” Greenberg said. “We hope to enhance consumers’ ability to get access to and understand this information.”

The committee’s 15 members are charged with advising FDA on communicating the risks and benefits of FDA-regulated products to the public, in order to enhance consumers’ use of these products. Greenberg joins the committee of independent experts and public members, who have backgrounds in areas including: risk communication, health literacy, behavioral and social sciences, as well as consumers, patients, caregivers, and health care providers’ rights.

“The National Consumers League has long advocated for consumer safety in the use of both over-the-counter and prescription drugs,” said Greenberg. “I commend FDA for its rapid response to this Congressional mandate, which the NCL believes will play a critical role in shaping the debate as we review and recommend effective methods for communicating with and educating consumers on the safety and effectiveness of the drugs and products they use.”

The National Consumers League provides consumers with resources on affordable health care, direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs, and tips on communicating effectively with their health care providers. The League staffs and runs the SOS Rx Coalition, which is committed to ensuring outpatients’ safe usage of medications.

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About the National Consumers League
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Don’t fall for the pitch! Avoid investment scams – National Consumers League

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May 1, 2008

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – Free seminars are a popular way to promote investment and insurance products. After the meal, the so-called “experts” urge folks to trade in their current investments for the product being pitched. Testimonials are glowing; the charts and handouts are impressive. But don’t fall for the pitch! This month, the National Consumers League is helping consumers differentiate between legitimate and fraudulent offers of investment opportunities this month in the National Consumers League’s “2008 Consumer Calendar: Do We Have Tips for You!”

NCL offers a listing of red-flag pitches that should cause a consumer to take the money and run from the seminar, including:

  • “Your profit is guaranteed!”
  • “Your money is always 100% available!”
  • “This offer is only available today!”

The nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization, NCL works to educate people about how to make wise decisions in today’s marketplace. Each month, NCL’s Web site, www.nclnet.org, will feature the calendar and tips for the month. Covering a range of subjects from medication safety, to avoiding scams, the tips are sponsored by major companies, government agencies, and organizations. The May tips about debit cards were sponsored by AARP.

The print version of the calendar was distributed to consumers free of charge through agencies and organizations around the country. There are no printed copies of the calendar remaining.

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About the National Consumers League
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.