WASHINGTON—Tobacco control groups and organized labor have joined forces to try to reduce smoking among the nation’s union workers and the exposure of their families to second-hand smoke. The American Legacy Foundation, an educational organization created as part of the $246 billion tobacco settlement, is underwriting the Consortium on Organized Labor and Tobacco Control (COLT) with a $1.6 million grant.
On average, 36% of craft workers and laborers smoke, compared with 32% of service workers and 21% of white-collar employees. The percentage of smokers is higher in certain occupations—40% for cooks and truck drivers, 46% for waiters and waitresses, and 60% for roofers.
