Chamber Prez Donohue Named 2010 Scrooge Of The Year

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, won DC Jobs with Justice's 2010 Scrooge of the Year Award Friday night, edging out the Washington Hospital Center and followed by Walmart in third place. Donohue received a resounding chorus of "boo’s" from a packed room at Friday's JwJ Winter Cabaret where the awards were announced. "Donohue turned the Chamber of Commerce from a middle-of-the-road trade association to a partisan lobbying giant supporting corporate interests against the interests of small businesses, consumers and working people," said Medea Benjamin, founder of the peace and justice group Code Pink. "This past election, Donohue took the organization to new lows by spending over $30 million on partisan attack ads using undisclosed funds. That alone makes him deserving of the Scrooge of the Year award." Labor and community activists gathered at the Cabaret, which raised $5000 for DC JwJ, to celebrate the year’s victories, get to know each other, and have fun learning how to hand dance. Click here for photos from the evening’s festivities. “If you missed the event but would like to make a donation, you can still do so!” says JwJ’s Ruth Castel-Branco. Click here to contribute online. - photo: Mr Franklin, instructor at Smooth and Easy, leads the Cabaret in hand dancing