National Consumers League calls on FTC to investigate allegations against Herbalife – National Consumers League

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March 12, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications, (724) 799-5392, carolm@nclnet.org or Sally Greenberg, 202-835-3323 x 830

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, today urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate recent allegations that the multi-level marketing company Herbalife is, in actuality, a sophisticated pyramid scheme. Herbalife’s business practices have recently come under intense investor scrutiny, and NCL is now calling on federal regulators to examine both the claims lodged against Herbalife and Herbalife’s responses. NCL wants the federal agency to evaluate the evidence on both sides and make a determination that will serve as an important guide to consumers.

In December 2012, Pershing Square Capital Management, a New York-based hedge fund, published the results of an 18-month investigation of Herbalife. This report claims a range of potential violations of federal and state consumer protection and anti-pyramiding laws, including Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” Herbalife responded in kind by arguing that both its products and its business model are legitimate, and that the company is a bona fide multi-level marketing enterprise.

“Having reviewed this report, Herbalife’s responses to it, and associated analyst and media coverage, we believe that the FTC should conduct a thorough investigation,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “Allegations that Herbalife’s business model is a pyramid scheme are serious charges with serious consequences for consumers and those who are recruited to sell Herbalife’s products. The FTC is the federal agency with the right mandate and expertise to explore these allegations.”

The National Consumers League itself has special expertise in this area. NCL’s letter to the FTC notes that, “[I]n 2009, with a grant from the Direct Selling Education Foundation, NCL launched an consumer education campaign to help consumers spot the differences between legitimate multi-level marketing (MLM) plans and fraudulent pyramid schemes.”

NCL’s letter also notes that “NCL’s anti-pyramiding checklist informs consumers that the central difference between a legitimate MLM business and a pyramid scheme is that an MLM succeeds largely by selling products and services, whereas a pyramid scheme makes profits primarily by recruiting new distributors.” NCL is asking the FTC to determine whether Herbalife falls into the MLM category, as company officials claim, or is in fact dependent for its profits on recruiting distributors rather than selling its products.

“We believe a thorough FTC investigation looking at both sides of this issue is called for at this time,” said Greenberg.

To read NCL’s letter to the FTC, click here.

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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 launches all new Fraud.org – National Consumers League

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February 20, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications, (724) 799-5392, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization, the National Consumers League, today debuted the redesign of Fraud.org, its consumer fraud education Web site. For more than 15 years, Fraud.org has been the premier resource for consumers to learn about and report Internet and telemarketing scams. Since 1996, NCL has tracked trends in Internet and telemarketing scams to identify emerging scams.  NCL assists victims by relaying reports daily to more than 90 law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada, including the Federal Trade Commission, state Attorneys General, and police departments.

Fraud remains a widespread problem costing tens of millions of consumers billions of dollars annually. Thanks to modern technology, fraudsters can easily find victims while remaining largely hidden from law enforcement. According to estimates from the Financial Fraud Research Center, the annual cost of consumer financial fraud in the U.S. is approximately $50 billion, on par with the annual gross output of the radio and television broadcasting industry.

“We are proud to debut the new and improved Fraud.org today,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “Fraud.org has been an invaluable tool in the fight against fraud for more than a decade. Because we track data as provided to us directly from consumers, Fraud.org is able to identify trends in emerging scams, deliver crucial prevention information about them to consumer protection professionals and members of the media.  We also assist law enforcement agencies engaged to help them bring con artists to justice.”

More than 30 years ago, NCL established the Alliance Against Fraud, a coalition of organizations concerned with the proliferation of telemarketing and Internet-based fraud. The work of the Alliance led to the League’s long-term program, the National Fraud Information Center (and later Internet Fraud Watch / NCL’s Fraud Center), established in 1992 to assist consumers directly with telemarketing fraud inquiries.

“With new scams popping up every day, there is a greater need than ever for reliable information to help consumers spot the scams and avoid becoming a fraud victim statistic,“ said John Breyault, NCL Vice President for Telecommunications and Fraud Public Policy. “NCL’s Fraud.org has long been recognized as a leader in the consumer watchdog community, and this site overhaul will enable us to reach even more consumers to empower them with our anti-fraud messages.”

“The National Consumers League, an important data contributor to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel complaint database, is one of the primary reasons for that database’s volume and diversity of data,” said FTC Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen. “NCL’s Fraud.org is an important partner in the FTC’s fight to protect consumers from being victimized by fraud.”

Through a complete overhaul of its design, the new Fraud.org will make it even easier for consumers to find the information they need to avoid scams. The new user experience includes:

  • An updated search function to help consumers search for scams in multiple ways, enabling them to go directly to a specific type of fraud or, using a more advanced search, identify the type of scam they’ve been exposed to if they aren’t sure;
  • Content that is easily shareable via social networks so that consumers can quickly pass along fraud warnings to friends and loved ones in need;
  • The ability to sign up for regular Fraud Alerts to help consumers stay abreast of emerging scams before they become victims; and
  • As always, consumers who have been victims of fraud or been approached by scammers can file complaints through our secure online complaint form. These complaints are then shared with our network of law enforcement and consumer protection partners.

“We are looking forward to adding even more features in the coming months to further enhance the experience for visitors to Fraud.org,” said Breyault. “We aim to make Fraud.org a go-to resource for consumers so they can find the information they need to avoid the daily onslaught of fraudulent tricks and traps.” 

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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.

Obama SOTU proposal to increase federal minimum wage welcome by advocates – National Consumers League

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February 13, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds President Obama’s State of the Union proposal to increase the federal minimum wage. The proposal would give low wage workers a $1.75 an hour raise by increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9 an hour by the end of 2015 and index it to the rate of inflation, for the first time in history.

“After watching millions of families with two children struggle below the federal poverty line, it is gratifying to have the President address the economic realities faced of low wage workers,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL. “NCL agrees with the President that anyone who works full-time shouldn’t be living in poverty in this, the richest nation in the world.”

NCL also applauds the President’s call for the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that ensures men and women receive equal pay for equal work. The bill would require employers to demonstrate that any difference in salary between male and female workers doing the same job are not gender related, and protect workers from retaliation when sharing salary information with co-workers.

In order for a woman to prove that she’s been the victim of pay discrimination, she needs to be able to have access to co-worker salary information without employer retaliation. The Paycheck Fairness Act would help close the $10,784 annual wage gap between men and women in the U.S.

“Earning $10,784 less a year due to gender inequality is not just a matter of injustice and inequality, it’s also about economic stability,” said Michell K. McIntyre, Project Director of NCL’s Special Project on Wage Theft. “We will work diligently with the President, Congress and our civil rights and union allies to see this measure enacted.” 

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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.

Consumer group praises FTC for crackdown on Four Loko labeling – National Consumers League

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February 13, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization in the country, today applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a modified Order against Phusion Projects, LLC. The order addresses false claims made by the company regarding the alcohol content of its popular product, Four Loko. Specifically, the claim that “a 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko contains the alcohol equivalent of one or two regular 12-ounce beers” was ruled false. The modified order requires that the company apply to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for approval to include an alcohol facts panel on the product. This label would include information about alcohol content, serving size, and servings per container. Additionally, the cans must be redesigned so they are re-sealable, allowing the consumer to drink the product in multiple sittings.

“We thank the FTC for its strong enforcement action that serves the interests of consumers in several important ways,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL’s Executive Director. “It is important that consumers are fully aware of how much alcohol they are consuming when they choose a beverage. NCL and other consumer groups have been working for years to get more information about nutritional facts and alcohol content included on these products.”

Four Loko first came to the public’s attention several years ago when concerns were raised over its combination of alcohol and caffeine, a blend which had caused the beverage to gain popularity with college students. After media coverage about college students who ended up in the hospital after consuming the beverage, and indications that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was planning to take action, Four Loko was reformulated to remove the caffeine. However, even with this reformulation, significant concerns about the product remained.

According to the FTC’s modified Order, Phusion Projects, LLC has 90 days to include the required label on its products. “We urge TTB to approve an alcohol facts panel label for Four Loko and to move forward on stalled rulemaking to implement such labels on all alcoholic products,” said Greenberg. “The decision by FTC represents another victory in the fight to ensure consumers are given robust and honest information with which they can make informed consumption decisions.”

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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.

Consumer Groups Call on President and Congress to Pursue Strong Consumer Agenda – National Consumers League

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February 1, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC– In joint letters sent to President Obama and Congressional leaders, eight of the nation’s leading consumer organizations urged policymakers to pursue a strong, robust agenda of consumer reforms.

With the President’s second term and a new session of Congress underway, the groups are calling for measures to strengthen the consumer’s voice in Washington, to continue improvements in health care and financial services, and to ensure that Americans’ food and products are safe.  They are also advocating for energy and telecommunications reforms, policies to strengthen regulations that protect the public from harm, consumer legal rights, and actions to ensure the marketplace is fair, open, and competitive.

The letter was signed by presidents and executive directors of Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Consumers League, National Consumer Law Center, Public Citizen, and U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

“The agenda we are providing today is a key starting point for our recommendations regarding the top issues for consumers,” the groups wrote.  “By working together and helping consumers make more informed decisions, we are building an influential consumer movement that will be a force for change.”

Under the heading “An Agenda to Ensure Consumers are Heard” the groups laid out nine major initiatives that the White House and Congress should adopt in the next Administration and in the new Congress:

  • Elevate the consumer voice in government by reinstating the key position of the White House Special Advisor on Consumer Affairs, holding regular meetings with consumer leaders, and convening a White House conference on the state of the consumer today.
  • Continue to work to make health care affordable, accessible, and safe through measures such as protecting funding for the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid by reducing wasteful and unnecessary spending, not cutting services or shifting costs to consumers.
  • Continue to protect and expand upon the financial consumer protections secured in recent years, including the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
  • Ensure our food and products are safe by moving forward on still-pending food safety rules and implementing tougher standards for products, such as infant and toddler items.
  • Provide consumers with affordable and sustainable energy options by forcefully addressing climate change and promoting clean-energy initiatives.
  • Ensure that the Internet and other telecommunications services remain affordable and accessible, and consumers’ privacy is protected.
  • Support regulations that improve our quality of life and protect our health and safety, as well as oppose efforts to undercut the regulatory rulemaking process.
  • Improve consumer access to justice by reinstating legal rights.
  • Protect consumers by ensuring open, competitive and fair markets through tough enforcement of antitrust prohibitions on anticompetitive mergers and cracking down on monopolistic practices that lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.

The letters were delivered to the White House and Senate Majority Leader Reid, Senate Republican Leader McConnell, Speaker of the House Boehner, and House Democratic Leader Pelosi.

For copies of the consumer groups’ letters and agenda, 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.

Script Your Future launches second annual student challenge to improve medication adherence – National Consumers League

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January 30, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—Today marks the launch of the 2013 Medication Adherence Team Challenge, a month-long competitive outreach project to engage student pharmacists and other health profession students, including medical and nursing students, and faculty in coming up with creative solutions to raise awareness about medication adherence as a critical public health issue. The Challenge, coordinated by the National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneer consumer group and the lead organization on the national Script Your Future campaign, is returning to university campuses across the country after a successful first year of student innovation.

With nearly three out of four Americans not taking their medications as directed—which results in serious health consequences, especially for people with chronic diseases—the National Consumers League and its partners in the Script Your Future campaign have committed to a 3-year program to raise awareness of the importance of medication adherence. The Challenge is part of the public awareness campaign launched in 2011 by NCL with more than 130 public and private stakeholder organizations.  This year’s Challenge is sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, the American Medical Association (AMA), and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).

“One of the best hopes we have for changing our culture of nonadherence is to train the next generation of health care professionals to be proactive about engaging their patients, and that starts in the classroom through the innovation brought forward by health professions faculty,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director.

“The success of the first Script Your Future Adherence Challenge in October 2011 demonstrated the power of student pharmacists to reach out to their communities and engage patients and caregivers to improve health through better adherence,” said Dr. Lucinda L. Maine, Executive Vice President and CEO at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.  “This year’s Challenge will emphasize the interprofessional health care team and what each member of that team needs to do to move the needle on medication adherence.”

The Medication Adherence Team Challenge is a month-long outreach project that will be held in February 2013 to engage interdisciplinary student teams from pharmacy, medicine, nursing, and other health professions to tackle the problem of poor adherence.  The teams will be implementing creative solutions and outreach in their communities to raise awareness and improve understanding about medication adherence, using Script Your Future materials.  At the end of the Challenge, select schools or colleges will be recognized nationally for their efforts to improve medication adherence.

“Innovative medication adherence  initiatives, such as the Challenge, ultimately help raise patient awareness of the importance of taking medication as prescribed. This kind of initiative can help prevent potential adverse events and unnecessary hospitalizations, and ultimately help improve health outcomes,” said NACDS Foundation President Kathleen Jaeger.  “We look forward to seeing what this next generation of pharmacists and other health care professionals will create throughout this year’s Challenge.”

“Everyone wins when patients take their medication as prescribed to achieve optimal health outcomes,” said AMA President Jeremy A. Lazarus, M.D. “As a sponsor of the challenge, the AMA is pleased to work with other health care professionals to improve the health of our patients and avoid unnecessary health problems.”

“Greater medication adherence improves patients’ well-being and ultimately helps to drive down the costs of health care,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA. “Independent community pharmacists are committed to proactively identifying solutions to improve patient adherence in their communities, and the Challenge is a terrific way to raise awareness among the next generation of pharmacists.”

In the inaugural year of the Challenge, more than 40,000 student pharmacists educated over 250,000 individuals nationwide during the month of October 2011 in this concerted public effort about the importance of medication adherence. Last year’s awardees, selected from 81 participating colleges and schools of pharmacy, included the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Harding University College of Pharmacy, Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy, and University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy. To learn more about last year’s winners visit the Script Your Future website.

For more information on the Challenge visit the Challenge Community website at https://syfadherencechallenge.ning.com/. Follow the Challenge on Twitter using the hashtag #SYFchallenge and follow the campaign @IWillTakeMyMeds.

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About Script Your Future

Script Your Future is a campaign of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1899. NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information about the Script Your Future campaign, visit www.ScriptYourFuture.org. For more information on NCL, please visit www.nclnet.org.

Consumer group laments court ruling over constitutionality of Obama NLRB appointments – National Consumers League

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January 25, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League (NCL) today expressed disappointment in the ruling issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit that President Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were unconstitutional. The Justice Department has indicated that the Administration will appeal the decision by three conservative judges to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“With only three current seats filled on the five-member NLRB, and two of those seats filled with members appointed under the questioned recess appointments, the Court is trying to shut down the cop on the beat charged with safeguarding employees’ rights to organize and addressing unfair labor practices,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL.

“We disagree with this decision, but note that all the appointees will remain in their jobs, not just at the NLRB but also Richard Cordray at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and will remain open for business. We urge the Senate to move quickly to confirm nominees to both the NLRB and the CFPB and allow these agencies to get on with carrying out the people’s business.”

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 expresses concern over new Apple child labor revelations – National Consumers League

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January 25, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—Apple Inc. announced today that its internal audits had found more than 106 underage employees at 11 different locations in its supply chain; it found another 70 “historical” cases of child labor. The company also said that it had terminated contracts with a Chinese supplier, Guangdong Real Faith Pingzhuou Electronics, which employed 74 workers under age 16. Auditors found eight facilities with “bonded labor,” cases in which workers were compelled to labor to pay off excessive recruiting fees.

The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization with a long history of working to reduce child labor in the U.S. and abroad, applauds the termination of supplier contracts that rely on the work of child labor. “After much criticism, it appears that Apple has finally stepped up auditing of its supply chain. We urge the company to continue on that path as aggressively as possible. With 1.5 million workers in 14 countries, the 106 children found working may be the tip of the iceberg,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg, who is a co-chair of the Child Labor Coalition, which represents 28 organizations, trying to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.

“Children should not be working in electronics manufacturing–with its accompanying dangers. They should be in school and allowed to realize their full potential,” said Greenberg. “Given Apple’s enormous profitability, it’s essential the company does everything in its power to stamp out child labor. Other electronics companies should take warning, and conduct rigorous audits of their supply chains.”

Apple suppliers in China, including the manufacturing behemoth FoxConn, have been criticized for poor working conditions and safety standards. Conditions were so bad, FoxConn felt compelled to install suicide nets to stop employees from plunging to their deaths off company rooftops. According to analyst Steven Millwood of TechAsia, Apple’s new  “supplier responsibility” report “details the same grim scene” for workers depicted in prior reports.

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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 commends DOL for new rule to strengthen mine health and safety measures – National Consumers League

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January 22, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League (NCL) today is commending the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for releasing a new rule on January 17, to strengthen mine safety measures across the country. The new rule seeks to ensure that mine operators address and monitor the most hazardous safety problems in their mines and reinforces the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) authority to respond to dangerous mining conditions and improve safety and health for miners.

“After the Upper Big Branch Mine tragedy in 2010, when 29 miners lost their lives due to management’s brazen disregard for health and safety, as well as for the law, it is gratifying to have MSHA tighten its reigns on mine operators and hold them accountable,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL. NCL is the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy group, advocating for improved mine safety since the 1930s.

In 2010, NCL called on MSHA to improve mine safety in order to protect the lives of workers by beefing up safety regulations, assigning higher fines for violators, and expediting processes for forcing mines with safety violations to address the hazards.

The new DOL rule comes in response to several recommendations from a September 2010 report from the department’s Office of Inspector General, which recommended that MSHA re-evaluate pattern of violations (POV) regulations; seek stakeholders input in developing new, transparent POV criteria; and re-evaluate the standard for timely completion of laboratory tests. The new rule better positions the agency to identify operators who blatantly ignore the health and safety of their miners and are unresponsive to other enforcement measures.

“We hope this new rule gives MSHA the authority it needs to regulate rogue operators, better protect miners, and prevent another mine disaster from occurring,” said Greenberg.

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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.

The National Consumers League adopts historic policy in support of immigration reform – National Consumers League

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January 17, 2013

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The Board of the National Consumers League (NCL), established in 1899 to seek social and economic justice for workers and consumers, has adopted for the first time in its history a policy statement in support of broad immigration reforms. “We adopted this policy because when we reflected on NCL’s long history of fighting for the rights of workers and consumers and our ongoing work today, we realize that immigrants have been, and continue to be, the greatest targets of workplace and marketplace abuses,” said Esther Lopez,  an NCL board member representing the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

NCL’s policy allows the organization to support many aspects of the immigration reform efforts embraced by many members of Congress and the Obama Administration.

Since its founding at the turn of the 20th Century, the National Consumers League has championed the interests of both consumers and workers. Many of NCL’s first successes focused on rights for workers, including minimum wage laws for women and child labor restrictions, and many of those workers were immigrants.  Many suffered from extreme poverty and immigrant children were often employed working long hours in dangerous conditions. NCL’s first leader, Florence Kelley once wrote, “We are infinitely cruel to the immigrants themselves in Lawrence, Little Falls, Pittsburg, Chicago, and the East Side, to say nothing of all the mines… Never in all history was anything more cruel than what we do about young immigrant girls.”

“Immigrants today in the US are exploited in the labor force and denied access to jobs, education and housing. Immigrants tend to be more frequent victims of wage theft, unsafe working conditions, and in some states in particular, oppressed by anti-immigrant laws and that puts them and their families in constant fear of deportation.  They also fall prey to consumer scams and frauds, and often bear the brunt of exploitive consumer policies in interactions with institutions like banks and insurance companies,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL’s Executive Director.

NCL’s Board Chair, Anna Flores, noted, “America has always been a nation of immigrants.  NCL mission supports the creation of a modern, 21st century legal immigration system that reflects our legacy. Our policy in support of immigration reform is in keeping with that legacy.”

NCL’s Policy Statement is below:

  • NCL supports a principled, comprehensive immigration reform that treats all immigrants with respect and dignity, no matter their legal status in the United States.  NCL’s policy is below:
  • Renews our commitment to citizenship that fully integrates undocumented immigrants into our way of life, affirming our shared rights, protections and responsibilities  by providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans.
  • Protects the sanctity of family by reducing the backlogs and keeping spouses, parents and children together.
  • Attracts the best and brightest skilled professionals to strengthen our economy,  create jobs, and build on the success of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and incorporates DREAMers,  young immigrants who are Americans but for a piece of paper, into mainstream life through a path to citizenship so that America benefits from their scholastic achievements and military service.
  • Ensures smart and effective enforcement that protects our borders, fosters commerce, and promotes the safe and legitimate movement of people and goods at our ports of entry.
  • Ends the exploitation of U.S. and immigrant workers by providing safe and legal avenues for foreign workers to fill legitimate workforce needs, and establishes a workable employment verification system that prevents unlawful employment.

NCL supports comprehensive immigration reform that reflects both the League’s  history and legacy  in support of workers and consumers, and our interest and values as Americans,  and is consistent with our nation’s commitment to fairness and equality.

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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.