Mourning the Loss of a Lion – National Consumers League

Like many other Americans, consumer and worker advocates are mourning the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), a hero and champion of the worker. National Consumers League issued this statement upon the news of his death.

Did you know that Senator Kennedy was the first recipient of NCL’s Trumpeter Award? NCL began giving the award back in 1973, with Kennedy as the inaugural recipient, with the goal of honoring leaders who are not afraid to speak out for social justice and for the rights of consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. Kennedy certainly was a champion of workers throughout his career, fighting tirelessly for minimum wage increases for working families and health care for all.

Sen. Kennedy also championed the rights of consumers. As recently as January of this year, he called upon the Obama Administration to reinstate the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, with a statement in the Congressional Record: “With a new administration focused on bringing needed change to the Nation, a new focus on consumer safety should be part of this change.”