COLT Enters the Tobacco Wars

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.