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Consumers Union is an independent, nonprofit testing and information organization serving consumers in the United States. Its mission is to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers. Its income is derived from the sale of its magazine 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'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.
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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[1] for an undisclosed sum.
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 "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.[2] 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 90,000 deaths and $4.5 billion in excess health care costs.[3] 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.[4]
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.
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.
