While the shared interests that unions and public health have in worker health has led to cooperation on many health issues, it has often not led to such cooperation on tobacco control. While some unions have been supportive of tobacco control efforts, many have not, and a number have adopted pro-tobacco industry positions, especially protesting tax increases and assisting in the defeat of smoke free air legislation. We will build on our previous study of the relationship between organized labor and public health and continue to explore ways to improve that relationship, which has the potential to improve the health of blue collar and service sector workers, a group with higher than average smoking rates. Our overall research goal is to continue to build an understanding of the relationships among the tobacco industry, organized labor, and public health, focusing on state level activity in 9 states. To achieve this goal, we will pursue three specific research aims:
Specific Aim #1. Continue our comprehensive search of the tobacco industry databases for materials related to the political interactions among public health, organized labor and the tobacco industry, focusing in this renewal on the state level issues related to smoke free worksites and excise tax increases.
Specific Aim #2. Develop 9 case studies based on research conducted under Specific Aim #1, using additional information found through the labor press, local newspapers, and other written sources, and through interviews with key labor leaders and public health activists.
Specific Aim #3. Using comparative case analysis, synthesize the 9 case studies conducted under Specific Aim #2 with three state level case studies completed under parent grant (2002-2005) to build a comprehensive study of public health's efforts to work with organized labor on excise taxes and smoke free worksites. To lower the high number of deaths caused by smoking, public health must lower smoking rates. Two of the leading interventions to achieve this reduction are worksite restrictions and excise tax increases. To implement these interventions in states with strong unions, public health must work with organized labor. This project will study the factors that facilitate and impede that relationship with a goal of improving it. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA095964-05
Application #
7282024
Study Section
Community Influences on Health Behavior (CIHB)
Program Officer
Bloch, Michele H
Project Start
2002-05-22
Project End
2010-07-31
Budget Start
2007-08-01
Budget End
2008-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$341,281
Indirect Cost
Name
Tufts University
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
073134835
City
Medford
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02155
Campbell, Richard B; Balbach, Edith D (2015) Cigarette Excise Taxes in Context: Cautionary Lessons from the U.S. Experience. Int J Health Serv 45:564-77
Campbell, Richard; Balbach, Edith (2013) Editorial input for the right price: tobacco industry support for a sheet metal indoor air quality manual. New Solut 23:467-83
Campbell, Richard B; Balbach, Edith D (2011) Manufacturing credibility: the National Energy Management Institute and the Tobacco Institute's strategy for indoor air quality. Am J Public Health 101:497-503
Raebeck, Annaebel; Campbell, Richard; Balbach, Edith (2010) Unhealthy partnerships: the tobacco industry and African American and Latino labor organizations. J Immigr Minor Health 12:228-33
Balbach, Edith D; Campbell, Richard B (2009) Union women, the tobacco industry, and excise taxes: a lesson in unintended consequences. Am J Prev Med 37:S121-5
Campbell, Richard B; Balbach, Edith D (2009) Building alliances in unlikely places: progressive allies and the Tobacco Institute's coalition strategy on cigarette excise taxes. Am J Public Health 99:1188-96
Zelnick, Jennifer; Campbell, Richard; Levenstein, Charles et al. (2008) Clearing the air: the evolution of organized labor's role in tobacco control in the United States. Int J Health Serv 38:313-31
Campbell, R; Balbach, E D (2008) Mobilising public opinion for the tobacco industry: the Consumer Tax Alliance and excise taxes. Tob Control 17:351-6
Balbach, Edith D; Herzberg, Abby; Barbeau, Elizabeth M (2006) Political coalitions and working women: how the tobacco industry built a relationship with the Coalition of Labor Union Women. J Epidemiol Community Health 60 Suppl 2:27-32
Barbeau, E M; Kelder, G; Ahmed, S et al. (2005) From strange bedfellows to natural allies: the shifting allegiance of fire service organisations in the push for federal fire-safe cigarette legislation. Tob Control 14:338-45

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