Consortium Targets Smoking Among Workers July 30, 2001
News Summary
Tobacco companies said they support the new Consortium on Organized Labor and Tobacco Control, which aims to reduce smoking among workers, the Christian Science Monitor reported July 26.The group, underwritten by the American Legacy Foundation, targets blue-collar and labor-union workers. According to a study by the U.S. Center for Disease Control, 36 percent of all blue-collar workers and 32 percent of all service workers smoke, compared with 21 percent of white-collar workers.
In the past, many labor unions protested establishing smoke-free workplace laws. In addition, many union health-insurance policies refused to cover smoking-cessation classes.
"There is a sea of change in the offing," said Cheryl Healton, president and chief executive officer of the American Legacy Foundation.
However, there are still some challenges to overcome, especially since the AFL-CIO said it had no opinion about the new effort. "We represent health-care workers and people who make cigarettes, so we leave these kinds of decisions to our affiliates," said spokeswoman Lane Windham.
"We support the role of the American Legacy Foundation to educate about the health risks of smoking," said Tom Ryan, spokesman for Philip Morris, the nation's largest tobacco company.
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