| Founder(s) | Arthur Kallet Colston Warne |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Location | 101 Truman Avenue Yonkers, New York 10703 |
| Key people | Jim Guest, President |
| Revenue | $248 million (2009)[1] |
| Employees | 652 |
| Website | consumersunion.org |
Consumers Union is a non-profit organization best known as the publisher of Consumer Reports, based in the United States. Its mission is to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers."[2]
In addition to its research and publishing activities, Consumers Union has four advocacy offices that attempt to influence policy that affects consumers, in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; and Yonkers, New York. Employees based in these offices "testify before federal and state legislative and regulatory bodies, petition government agencies, and file lawsuits on behalf of the consumer interest."[2]
Consumers Union's advocacy staff focus on policy issues related to telecommunications, mass media, vehicle safety, health care, product safety, financial services, investing, food safety, housing, and energy and utility deregulation.
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[edit] History
Consumers Union was 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 and started his own organization with Amherst College economics professor Colston Warne. In part due to actions of Consumers Research, the House Un-American Activities Committee placed Consumers Union on a list of subversive organizations, only to remove them in 1954.
Consumers Union has 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 to Consumer Reports for local services in the seven metropolitan areas they serve.
At the start of 2009, Consumers Union acquired The Consumerist blog from Gawker Media[3] for approximately $600,000.
[edit] Advocacy and campaigns
Consumers Union has hundreds of 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 "Drugs I Need", an animated short with a song from the Austin Lounge Lizards, that was featured by The New York Times, JibJab, BoingBoing, and hundreds of blogs. On Earth Day 2005, CU launched GreenerChoices.org, a web-based initiative meant to "inform, engage, and empower consumers about environmentally-friendly products and practices."
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.[4] The US Centers 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 99,000 deaths and as much as $45 billion in excess hospital costs.[5] The campaign has worked in every state calling for legislation requiring hospitals to disclose infection rates to the public. Currently, 27 US states require such disclosure, and federal legislation proposes to establish a national requirement.[6]
GreenerChoices.org offers an "accessible, reliable, and practical source of information on buying 'greener' products that have minimal environmental impact and meet personal needs." The site contains many articles about different products, rating them on how "green" they are. It also focuses on electronics and appliance recycling and reuse, as well as conservation and global warming prevention.
[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.
[edit] See also
- Consumers International
- Australian Consumers' Association
- Consumers' Institute of New Zealand
- UFC Que Choisir, France's most important consumers' group.
- Verbraucherzentrale, Germany's most important consumers' group.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bounds, Gwendolyn (May 5, 2010). "Meet the Sticklers". The Wall Street Journal: pp. D1-D2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703866704575224093017379202.html#mod=todays_us_personal_journal. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
- ^ a b About Consumers Union
- ^ http://consumerist.com/5119817/consumers-union-buys-consumerist
- ^ About Stop Hospital Infections
- ^ Healthcare-Associated Infections | CDC Infection Control in Healthcare
- ^ Stop Hospital Infections
