Consumers Union
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Consumers Union is an independent, nonprofit testing and information organization serving consumers. Its mission is to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers. Its income is derived from the sale of Consumer Reports and other services, and from noncommercial contributions, grants, and fees.
Integral to its mission, Consumers Union has four advocacy offices that address the crucial task of influencing policy that affects consumers. Its advocates tackle consumer issues that are regional, national, and even international in scope from their offices in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; and Yonkers, New York. They testify before federal and state legislative and regulatory bodies, petition government agencies, and file lawsuits on behalf of the consumer interest. Consumers Union is known around the halls of the U.S. Congress as willing to work with members of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Consumers Union's advocacy staff focus on policy issues related to telecommunications, media, auto safety, health care, product safety, financial services, investing, food safety, housing, and energy and utility deregulation.
Contents |
[edit] History
Founded in 1936 by Arthur Kallet, Colston Warne, and others who felt that the established Consumers Research organization was not aggressive enough. Kallet, an engineer and director of Consumers Research had a falling out with F.J. Schlink, who busted Consumers Research's union and started his own organization with Amherst College economics professor Colston Warne.
The House Un-American Activities Committee placed Consumers Union on a list of subversive organizations only to remove them in 1954. Consumers Union has also helped start several consumer groups and publications, in 1960 helping create global consumer group Consumers International and in 1974 providing financial assistance to Consumers' Checkbook which is considered akin Consumer Reports for local services in the 7 metropolitan areas they serve.
[edit] Advocacy & Campaigns
Consumers Union has thousands of e-advocates who take action and write letters to policymakers about the issues its advocates take on. CU has also launched several new advocacy websites including HearUsNow.org which helps consumers with telecommunications policy matters. In March 2005, CU campaign PrescriptionforChange.org released an animation with a song from the Austin Lounge Lizards that was featured by The New York Times, JibJab, BoingBoing, and hundreds of blogs.
Consumers Union is a sponsor of the Stop Hospital Infections campaign, whose goal is to aid consumers in finding the best quality of health care by promoting the public disclosure of hospital-acquired infection rates.[1]
The campaign works to obtain petition signatures in many US states, calling for legislation requiring hospitals to disclose infection rates to the public. Currently only 6 US states require such disclosure, although legislation is currently being debated in many other states.[2]
The US Center for Disease Control states that about 2 million patients annually (about 1 in 20) will acquire an infection while being treated in a hospital for an unrelated health care problem, resulting in 90,000 deaths and $4.5 billion in excess health care costs.[3]
[edit] Campaign for Children's Health Care
Consumers Union is a partner in the Campaign for Children's Health Care, a multi-year campaign to raise awareness about the problem of uninsured children in America.
