Baby Bottles, Union Conflicts and Credit Card Fees
Wal-Mart announces that it will stop selling baby bottles made with the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA.
Members of the California Nurses Association and the Service Employees International Union fight over membership.
Congress considers limiting the fees that credit card companies are allowed to charge merchants for processing payments.
1. ENVIRONMENT
Wal-Mart announces that it will stop selling baby bottles made with the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Analyst Steve Milloy on BPA’s safety history:
“…there is no evidence anyone has ever been harmed by BPA in a consumer product, despite widespread use in baby and medical products and food and beverage containers; moreover, there’s no reason to expect anyone ever would be harmed, as exposures to BPA from consumer products are 100 times lower than the ‘safe’ level determined by government regulators.”
2. LABOR
Members of the California Nurses Association and the Service Employees International Union fight over membership.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Editorial Director Ivan Osorio on the latest source of conflict:
“At the recent convention of the pro-union group Labor Notes, at least 200 SEIU members stormed the convention banquet apparently to disrupt a speech by the CNA executive director (who had cancelled earlier in the day, anyhow). In addition, CNA claims that SEIU organizers have harassed nurses at home. CNA took out a temporary restraining order against SEIU, which was vacated yesterday by a California court.”
3. BUSINESS
Congress considers limiting the fees that credit card companies are allowed to charge merchants for processing payments.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Research Associate Ryan Radia on the choices upset retailers have:
“Nobody is forcing retailers to take credit cards. If a business doesn’t want to pay interchange fees, it is free to go cash-only, or accept checks instead. Still, most shops gladly take plastic, because they’ve realized that customers spend more” when they can pay with a credit card.
Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI’s blog, Open Market.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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