LifeSmarts, UL bring Safety Smart® initiative to high school student leaders – National Consumers League

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September 24, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—Just after the start of the new 2013 program year, which has been marked by a completely redesigned and improved LifeSmarts.org, the National Consumers League (NCL) is announcing a major expansion to its LifeSmarts program: a new opportunity for high school students to conduct service learning programs in their communities as the result of a partnership with the global safety science company UL (Underwriters Laboratories).

LifeSmarts is an educational competition, run by the 114-year-old nonprofit NCL, that tests middle school and high school students nationwide on real-life consumer issues through online quizzes and live competition. It will culminate with the 20th anniversary national LifeSmarts championship in Orlando in April 2014, where winning teams and individual students are awarded academic scholarships and prizes.

By combining efforts on a joint educational project, this new opportunity expands UL’s decade-long support for NCL and the LifeSmarts competition. Joining UL’s knowledge of safety science with LifeSmarts consumer and marketplace knowledge, the team developed classroom curricula designed to complement and extend the LifeSmarts model. Utilizing UL’s Safety Smart® Program, an initiative aimed at improving awareness and understanding of safety, health, environmental stewardship and societal well-being, the team created turn-key lessons on health and the environment for LifeSmarts participants to deliver to elementary-school children in their own communities. In addition to adding this new service-learning component to the program, LifeSmarts is expanding its content for safety science and the environment and creating new resources and challenges for LifeSmarts competitors.

“We are excited to partner with UL to provide the student leaders involved with LifeSmarts a relevant, hands-on way to give back to younger students in their communities, ” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “The new lessons aimed at younger kids about ‘going green’ and being ‘healthy and fit’ are a win-win, providing high school LifeSmarts participants a dynamic leadership opportunity and their younger counterparts important lessons about being healthy and environmentally-conscious.”

Starting this month, LifeSmarts participants can become Safety Smart Ambassadors, an opportunity to fulfill community service requirements or to simply give back on a voluntary basis. Participants documenting their experiences will have the chance to receive post-secondary scholarships, and win monthly giveaways and iPad minis.

“UL has been a long-time supporter of the LifeSmarts program because we value equipping young people with relevant, real-world knowledge,” said Barbara Guthrie, Vice President, Public Safety Advocacy, Education and Outreach for UL. “We’re thrilled that this partnership gives us an opportunity to recruit new, highly-motivated Safety Smart Ambassadors, and share our safety science knowledge and expertise with all LifeSmarts participants.”

Safety Smart’s guiding principle is that unintentional injuries are avoidable and preventable through Safety Smart choices. When Safety Smart Ambassadors share Safety Smart concepts with children they help to build a consciousness and knowledge by raising awareness and inspiring action. Safety Smart Ambassadors help cultivate children to be safety advocates…safety scientists…safety smart.

The addition of the Safety Smart program is part of a series of recent expansion efforts for the program, including the revamped online competition and learning home, LifeSmarts.org, as well as numerous partnerships in new states: Georgia 4-H, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, the Maine Jump$tart Coalition, and Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America in Idaho. LifeSmarts now has formal programs established in 30 states, with partnerships with Better Business Bureaus, credit unions, consumer protection agencies, and Councils on Economic Education. Interested students and adults can visit the LifeSmarts Web site to connect with the program in their state.

For more information about LifeSmarts and the Safety Smart Ambassador program, visit https://www.lifesmarts.org/resources/safety-smart/

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

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.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at (202) 835-3323.

About UL

UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for 120 years. Its more than 10,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, advisory and education services, visit https://www.UL.com.

Excessive fees, misleading cancellation insurance products drive up airline profits at consumer expense – National Consumers League

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September 23, 2013

Contact: NCL Communications, Ben Klein, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – Rising cancellation fees, unaffordable refundable tickets and misleading travel insurance marketing have become hallmarks of the airline industry’s growing drive to profit from life’s unpredictable events. Findings in a new National Consumers League (NCL) report suggest that the airlines are supplementing cancellation/change fees revenue with commissions from the sale of travel insurance policies that are often misleadingly marketed to consumers.

“The fact is, stuff happens and consumers may need to change or cancel a flight. We think it’s a bad business practice for airlines to rely on life’s unpredictability – a child’s broken arm, a parent needing to be taken to the hospital, a cancelled conference – to bring in billions of dollars in revenue,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “What’s worse, consumers who want to hedge against the risk of expensive change fees by buying travel insurance often find that they aren’t covered when the unexpected happens.”

Notable statistics from NCL’s report, entitled “$tuff Happens: Airlines Benefit Handsomely From the Unexpected … and Consumers’ Fears About It,” include:

  • Cancellation/change fees now account for more than $2.5 billion in airline revenue, an increase of more than 176 percent since 2007;
  • Annual sales of travel insurance and related services increased by approximately 46 percent from 2006-2012 to $1.9 billion;
  • Trip cancellation/interruption policies — the type most often marketed to consumers by airline Web sites and online travel agencies — accounted for 94 percent of travel insurance premiums in 2012, an increase of more than 22 percent since 2006;
  • Refundable tickets are not an affordable alternative for most consumers. On average, the least-expensive refundable ticket is 350 percent more expensive that the least-expensive non-refundable ticket (which make up more than 80 percent of all tickets sold).

As a hedge against rising cancellation/change fees and prohibitively expensive refundable tickets, it is logical for consumers to look to travel insurance. Unfortunately, travel insurance policies are misleadingly marketing by online travel agencies and airline Web sites.  Terms like “worry-free” and “peace of mind is only a click away,” encourage consumers to purchase add-on travel insurance policies during the ticket-buying process without learning about the significant limitations and exclusions hidden in the fine print of these policies.

“In comparison to a potential $200 cancellation fee, 5 percent of the cost of the ticket for travel insurance may seem like a great deal to many consumers,” said report author John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud. “All too often, however, consumers find that the protection they thought they had is denied due to pre-existing condition exclusions and other fine print.”

To address the linked issues of rising cancellation/change fees, unaffordable refundable tickets and misleadingly marketed travel insurance, NCL is recommending that cancellation/change fees be reduced to zero for changes made more than 5-10 days prior to a trip, consumers be allowed to transfer their tickets to another traveler without a fee and that standby fees be eliminated, among other reforms.

To read the full report, 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.

Interagency action an important step to protect health insurance marketplace users from scam artists – National Consumers League

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September 18, 2013

Contact: NCL Communications, Ben Klein, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League, the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, today applauded the announcement of a new interagency initiative to fight back against scam artists looking to take advantage of the launch of the new health insurance marketplaces.

The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League:

“Consumers will soon begin to benefit from a key part of the Affordable Care Act. The state and federal health insurance marketplaces coming on line on October 1 promise to make health care more affordable for millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans. Unfortunately, experience has shown that scam artists frequently look to take advantage of confusion about new government programs to defraud consumers. That’s why it’s so important that government agencies work together to get ahead of the threat and help protect consumers from unscrupulous con artists. The interagency initiative announced today promises to make life harder for fraudsters who want to profit from consumers’ unfamiliarity with the new marketplaces.”

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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.

Advocacy group laments DC City Council’s failure to revive ‘Livable Wage Act’ – National Consumers League

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September 17, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC– Today the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy group expressed disappointment at the District of Columbia City Council’s failure to find the ninth vote needed to overturn DC Mayor Vincent Gray’s recent veto of the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA) or Livable Wage Act. The bill would raise the hourly wage and benefits of workers at big box stores in DC to $12.50 an hour, $4.25 more than the current minimum wage these workers receive.

Initially, the LRAA passed the City Council with an 8 to 5 vote in July. One more vote was needed – a total of 9 votes – to override the Mayor’s Sept. 12th veto. The Council failed to achieve that vote today.

The Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), which had previously supported the Act and praised the DC City Council for its passage, has repeatedly called on the Council to override the Mayor’s veto. The LRAA would require DC retailers whose parent companies do more than $1 billion in sales annually, pay their employees the DC living wage and benefits of $12.50 an hour. 

NCL has a long history of supporting the interests of workers and consumers since its founding in 1899, and NCL’s first General Secretary, Florence Kelley, wrote the first state minimum wage laws in the US.

“We have urged the DC City Council to override the Mayor’s veto of the LRAA and support the goal to ‘establish a code of conduct for responsible retailers in our community, ensuring that large retailers pay their workers a living wage and provide affordable health benefits,’” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director.

According to a recent survey commissioned by a coalition of groups coordinated by the National Consumers League and conducted by Lake Research Partners, a solid majority of likely Democratic primary voters in the District of Columbia’s Ward 3 supports the LRAA.

“We are deeply disappointed at the failure of this legislation. DC had a chance to set a standard for the nation on what we expect of big box retailers. Instead, we have let the big and powerful triumph over the interests of the working poor,” said Greenberg. “The Large Retailer Accountability Act provided a real chance at helping to lift DC workers out of poverty. What a lost opportunity.”

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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/Worker group heralds new DC Paid Sick Days law – National Consumers League

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September 17, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy group today is praising the introduction of new local legislation in Washington, DC—the Earned Sick And Safe Leave Amendment Act of 2013—that would expand the requirement for employers to provide their workers with current paid sick days policies to apply to most tipped workers. The legislation, introduced today by Council Member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and Chairman Phil Mendelson (D), along with several co-sponsors, is welcome news for both worker and consumer advocates alike. 

“Paid sick days are good for everyone; it’s both a worker and consumer rights issue. Many successful restaurant owners have demonstrated that it’s possible to be responsible, compassionate employers without compromising the bottom line,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “It’s time for all employees, including the workers who prepare and serve food for DC residents in area restaurants, to earn the right to stay home when illness strikes, and help prevent the further spread of illness.”

According to 2013 research conducted by the DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), there is an expectation among restaurant patrons that the workers who cook and serve food they won’t be required to do so while sick. More than 90 percent of consumers surveyed agreed that it’s important that restaurant workers do not serve and cook when they are sick. However, research indicates that 90 percent of restaurant workers do not have paid sick days, and many say they come to work despite illness. 

The DC legislation would expand the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act, from 2008, that required paid sick leave but only for workers who have been on the job for a year and have worked a required 1,000 hours. The 2008 law also guaranteed nearly universal paid sick leave in the District, but excluded tipped wait staff, including most servers, bussers, and bartenders. Under the new law, the benefit would be expanded to tipped employees and the waiting period would be reduced to 90 days.

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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.

DC’s Ward 3 voters overwhelmingly support the Large Retailer Accountability Act or “Livable Wage Act” – National Consumers League

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September 17, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, (202) 207-2832, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC— According to a recent survey commissioned by a coalition of groups coordinated by the National Consumers League and conducted by Lake Research Partners, a solid majority of likely Democratic primary voters in the District of Columbia’s Ward 3 supports the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA), more commonly known as the Living Wage Bill.

The groups are releasing the poll in conjunction with the DC Council vote, which is scheduled for September 17, on whether to override Mayor Vincent Gray’s veto of the LRAA. Councilmember Mary Cheh, who represents Ward 3, was one of the five councilmembers opposing the bill when it was passed by a vote of 8-5 in July of this year. One of the five councilors voting no would need to switch his or her vote in order to obtain the nine votes needed to override the Mayor’s veto.

According to the poll released today, fully 54 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in Ward 3 support requiring large retailers in DC to pay living wages and provide benefits to employees—and with remarkable intensity (42 percent strongly support the LRAA). With just over one-quarter of Democratic primary voters opposed (27 percent), support for the Living Wage Bill outpaces opposition by a two-to-one margin. Just one-in-five voters (19 percent) is undecided. 

Ward 3 Democrats view their Councilmember, Mary Cheh, favorably (70 percent favorable, 16 percent unfavorable) and tend to like the job she is doing (64 percent excellent/good, 28 percent fair/poor). However, a 42 percent plurality of those voters who said they are open to an alternative candidate to Cheh say they would be less likely to support her if she were to vote against the Living Wage Bill.

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Methodolody

Lake Research Partners designed and administered this survey, which was conducted by phone using professional interviewers. The survey reached a total of 350 likely 2014 Democratic primary voters in Ward 3. The survey was conducted September 12 – 15, 2013. The margin of error is +/-5.3%.

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.

Advocacy group to DC Mayor Gray: Veto of LRAA shameful – National Consumers League

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September 12, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org 

Washington, DC– Today the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy group expressed its disappointment at Washington, DC Mayor Vincent Gray’s vetoing of the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA), legislation that would dramatically improve the lives of some minimum-wage workers in the District. The Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), which had previously supported the Act and praised the DC City Council for its passage, is today calling on the Council to override the Mayor’s veto. The LRAA would require DC retailers whose parent companies do more than $1 billion in sales to pay their employees the DC living wage and benefits of $12.50 an hour. 

NCL has a long history of supporting the interests of workers and consumers since its founding in 1899, and NCL’s first General Secretary, Florence Kelley, wrote the first state minimum wage legislation.

“We urge the DC City Council to override the Mayor’s veto on the Large Retailer Accountability Act and support the bill’s principles, to ‘safeguard the public health, safety, welfare and prosperity of all Washingtonians, the District must establish a code of conduct for responsible retailers in our community, ensuring that large retailers pay their workers a living wage and provide affordable health benefits,’” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director.

“This bill would affect some of the most profitable companies in the world, corporations that can well afford to improve the wages and working conditions of their employees without diminishing their profits. The City Council should stand up for workers, especially when companies can afford to pay them more. If the LRAA is enacted, taxpayers could stop subsidizing the paltry wages these retail giants pay. This law will help lift workers out of poverty,” said Greenberg.

The LRAA passed the City Council with an 8 to 5 in July. One more vote is needed – a total of 9 votes – to override the Mayor’s veto.

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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 applauds Rep. Eshoo for addressing consumer harm caused by tv blackouts – National Consumers League

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September 11, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC –The National Consumers League, the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, today applauded Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18) for introducing the Video CHOICE (Consumers Have Options in Choosing Entertainment) Act.

The following statement is attributable to John Breyault, NCL’s Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud:

“Consumers should not be the pawns in the never-ending games of chicken between multi-billion dollar cable companies and broadcast networks. The increasing frequency of television blackouts — 91 in 2012 alone and 80 already this year – demonstrate that the current legal framework regarding retransmission consent is broken. The Video CHOICE Act recognizes this and seeks to implement a range of reforms. We look forward to a thorough debate on the proposals raised by Congresswoman Eshoo.” 

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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.

LifeSmarts launches 20th anniversary season with all new LifeSmarts.org, other exciting expansions – National Consumers League

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September 9, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, (202) 207-2832, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The 2013-2014 LifeSmarts season is officially underway this week, with a new competition year going live at the program’s revamped online home, LifeSmarts.org, along with a variety of new coaching and study resources, new opportunities for participants, and new state programs across the country. LifeSmarts is an educational competition run by the National Consumers League that tests middle school and high school students nationwide on real-life consumer issues through online quizzes and live competition. It culminates in the annual national LifeSmarts championship, taking place this season in Orlando, FL, where winning teams and individuals are awarded academic scholarships and prizes. 

“We’re thrilled to be launching this, our 20th year of LifeSmarts,” said Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “LifeSmarts delivers life skills to students and allows them to shine in competitions where they demonstrate their knowledge of personal finance and consumer issues. It also provides thousands of teachers across the country with up-to-date, broad-based consumer education resources.”

Over the years, LifeSmarts has steadily grown in numbers of student and adult participants, state partnerships, and corporate sponsorships. In the most recent season, an estimated 100,000 students and teachers across the country answered more than 3.5 million LifeSmarts questions. This month, LifeSmarts has unveiled a new Web site with better navigation, usability, and social media integration.

“LifeSmarts content is keeping up with an increasingly challenging marketplace, providing the consumer literacy teens need to become the next generation of smart consumers and workers, and the materials are used both for competition and for classroom curriculum across the country,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “The all-new LifeSmarts.org will help students and coaches use study materials more easily, excel at competition, and share their success with others. We are excited to see what new and returning LifeSmarts teens think of the new online home.”

LifeSmarts provides participants with practical advice and information on consumer issues ranging from personal finance and health and safety to the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities. Starting online each fall, the competition progresses to live state play-offs, and then builds to a high-spirited National Championship. At last year’s national competition held in Atlanta, the Florida team took home top honors after competing for four days against state champion teams from across the country.

Later this month, LifeSmarts will also roll out a major expansion to its LifeSmarts program in partnership with the global safety science company Underwriters Laboratories, UL, providing participants with a community service learning opportunity in their communities.

The National Consumers League partners with volunteer state coordinators in 30 states including Better Business Bureaus, credit unions, consumer protection agencies, and State FCCLA organizations. Interested students and adults can visit the LifeSmarts Web site to connect with the program in their state.

“The National Consumers League’s mission is to inspire confidence and safety in the marketplace,” said Greenberg. “The LifeSmarts program, our consumer education initiative for youth, fosters students’ understanding of consumer issues and provides them with real-world knowledge they will need to take charge of their lives.”

Major LifeSmarts contributors include Visa, Experian, Google, Western Union, UL, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, American Express, CBM Credit Education Foundation, and others. 

Visit the new LifeSmarts.org. LifeSmarts: Learn it. Live it.

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

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.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

Buyer Beware: Walgreens prices all over the map – National Consumers League

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September 5, 2013

Contact: Matt Painter, Change to Win Retail Initiatives, 646.705.3128,  matthew.painter@changetowin.org
Ben Klein, National Consumers League, 202.207.2832, benk@nclnet.org

New York, September 5, 2013 –Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) shoppers could be paying too much depending on which location of the chain they choose, with stores in the same market offering the same products for up to 55 percent more.  A new study of several markets throughout the country finds that price variation across Walgreens locations was up to five times higher than at Rite Aid and two-and-a-half times higher than CVS. The report, released by Change to Win (CtW) Retail Initiatives in partnership with the National Consumers League (NCL), compiles data on a basket of 25 items at 485 CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, and Orange County, California.

(Download PDF survey factsheets: national overview, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, and Orange County.)

“Certainly consumers expect different chains to offer different deals,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL, the nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization. “But price variation within a single chain is a wake-up call for consumers, who don’t tend to shop around and compare within a chain. This is a reminder that caveat emptor – let the buyer beware – applies even within the same chain, where prices may vary depending on where you’re shopping.”

Key findings for all markets surveyed include:

  • Walgreens prices were all over the map.  Walgreens stores in a single market were up to five times more likely than a competitor to charge different prices for the same item.  This price variation was not limited to one or two items; researchers encountered storewide price differences at Walgreens at a rate several times higher than the other chains in most markets.
  • Price differences at Walgreens often meant consumers were paying more.  In every market surveyed, Walgreens had the greatest percentage of products that cost at least 10 percent more than the market’s lowest price.
  • Walgreens had the biggest price differences between its stores.  In all markets surveyed, Walgreens had twice the number of products with a 20 percent or greater price range than did CVS.  Rite Aid had virtually no products with that big of a gap.  Walgreens also had significantly more items with a price range of a dollar or greater.

The study includes several tips for how shoppers can get the best price at drugstore chains. Tips include avoiding Walgreens flagship stores and asking managers about price matching.

“Price variation isn’t fair to consumers, who need their dollars to stretch in a tough economy and deserve to get the best price available, regardless of which Walgreens they happen to walk into,” said Nell Geiser, Research Director of CtW Retail Initiatives.

Since there are no Rite Aid stores in Dallas-Fort Worth, researchers only visited CVS and Walgreens locations in that market.

(Download PDF survey factsheets: national overview, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, and Orange County.)

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, 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. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

About Change to Win Retail Initiatives

Change to Win Retail Initiatives is committed to making retailers more accountable and transparent to all stakeholders.