Consumers Union
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| Founded | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Founder |
Arthur Kallet Colston Warne |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Location |
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Key people
|
Marta Tellado, President |
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Revenue
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$248 million (2009) |
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Employees
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652 |
| Website | consumersunion |
Consumers Union (CU) is a United States-based non-profit organization focusing on product testing, investigative journalism, and consumer advocacy in an attempt to help consumers to make informed decisions in the marketplace and to try and encourage market actors to place the needs of consumers first. Consumer Reports publishes a magazine and a website, both called Consumer Reports. As of January 2016, its CEO is Marta Tellado, who has served in the position since 2014.
Founded in 1936, CU was created to serve as a source of information that consumers could use to help assess the safety and performance of products at the dawn of the era of mass media advertising. Since that time, CU has continued its testing and analysis of products and services, and attempted to advocate for the consumer in legislative and rule-making arenas. Among the reforms in which CU played a role were the advent of seat belt laws, the exposure of the dangers of cigarettes, and more recently, the enhancement of consumer finance protection and the increase of consumer access to quality health care.
The organization has expanded its reach to a suite of digital platforms.
The organization’s headquarters, including its 50 testing labs, are located in Yonkers, New York, while its automotive testing track is in East Haddam, Connecticut. CU is funded by subscriptions to its magazine and website, as well as through independent grants and donations.
Consumers Union's predecessor, Consumers' Research, was founded in 1926. In 1936, Consumers Union was founded 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 it in 1954.
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