NCL mourns loss of ‘hero and champion’ Senator Ted Kennedy, (1932-2009) – National Consumers League

August 26, 2009

Washington, DC, August 26, 2009—The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneer consumer and worker advocacy organization, mourns the death of hero and champion of the worker, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

Senator Kennedy embodied all that NCL stands for, promoting fair treatment for both consumers and workers. NCL is proud that, in 1973, Sen. Kennedy was the first recipient of the organization’s Trumpeter Award, an annual honor bestowed upon leaders who are not afraid to speak out for social justice and for the rights of consumers. Kennedy was a champion of workers, fighting tirelessly for minimum wage increases for working families and health care for all.

Sen. Kennedy also championed the rights of consumers. In January of this year, he called upon the Obama Administration to reinstate the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, with a statement in the Congressional Record: “With a new administration focused on bringing needed change to the Nation, a new focus on consumer safety should be part of this change.”

Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League, offered the following statement: “It will be hard to imagine a Congress without Senator Kennedy at the center of the action. He spoke with compassion for the disenfranchised, immigrants, minorities, workers, and consumers. He will be sorely missed.”

The staff, Board of Directors, and membership of the National Consumers League convey their sincere condolences to the Kennedy family.

###

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.