Chamber Wins 'Biggest Scrooge,' United Airlines gets AFA-CWA Write-In Vote

It was an especially tough call in 2009. Who among the greedy banks and gluttonous CEOs was the biggest Scrooge? That may be why online voters in the annual Jobs with Justice contest decided the most cold-hearted of all was the umbrella organization for greed, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The stiff competition included "an impressive write-in campaign" by AFA-CWA flight attendants who designated United Airlines as their pick for its refusal to bargain fairly after years of cutting wages, pension and working conditions while in bankruptcy.

The Chamber's nastiness trumped Bank of America for its role in the subprime lending crisis, Hyatt Hotels for firing 100 housekeepers during a job action, Publix Supermarkets for continuing to buy tomatoes from growers prosecuted for human rights abuses, and student loan lenders Sallie Mae and Citibank.