In an effort to protect consumers from what the Federal Reserve called "unfair or deceptive" practices by banks issuing credit cards, Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act in May 2009. You'd think that since passing this law, unfair, deceptive practices by credit card issuers would have abated, right? Survey says....Not even close.

According to recent report by the Pew Health Group, anti-consumer practices haven't abated in the slightest since the law was passed -- they're actually on the rise.

Credit-card lenders have been increasing fees and interest rates, raising minimum payments and lowering credit limits. Some Citi card holders, for example, have seen their credit limits cut, their interest rates skyrocket as high as 29.99%, or their cards canceled altogether. And just last month, Bank of America announced it was testing annual fees (ranging from $29 to $99) on a select number of card holders.

Pew's report found that a shocking 100 percent of the credit cards offered online by the 12 leading bank card issuers continue to include practices that will be soon be outlawed, once the Credit CARD Act takes effect. Banks surveyed include Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, American Express, USAA and Capitol One.

Want a better credit card? Check out a credit union: Pew's study didn't just look at big card issuers--they took a look at credit unions as well. Their findings: although the largest 12 credit unions control only 1 percent of overall credit card lending, many of their prices are significantly lower compared to those of the largest banks. In addition, credit union penalty charges were both less frequent and less severe than those of banks. Let's take a look at some of those numbers:

Avg. interest rates on missed payment deadlines on unpaid balances:

Credit Unions: 17.9% vs. Banks: 28.8%

Average overdraft fees:

Credit unions: $20 vs. Banks: $39

According to the the Center for Responsible Lending, overdraft fees collected in 2008 have increased by 35% since 2006.

Highest interest rates (in July 2009):

Credit Unions: 13.75% vs. Banks: 21.24%

Interest rates on cards issued by Bank of America, Discover Financial Services and Capital One Financial have actually increased their interest rates by 20% in the last six months.

Making money on the backs of consumers: Though banks aren't compelled to disclose how much of their profit comes from fees, our research shows how JPMorgan Chase's bank fees comprised $3.45 billion, or 71 percent of its profit for the first half of 2009. Citigroup earned $326 million, or 95 percent of its profit, for the same period. Bank of America made 70 percent of its profit, or $5.26 billion, in bank account fees.

Although it was originally slated to take effect in staged phases--upcoming implementation dates were to be February 2010 and August 2010--U.S. lawmakers recently voted to speed up the implementation of new rules to guard against such abusive practices like those documented in Pew's study. The sooner we can hold credit card companies accountable for intentionally trapping consumers into debt from which they cannot recover, the closer we'll be towards fostering a financial system that puts long-term economic growth over short-term, expedient profits.

View Pew's full report: Still Waiting: 'Unfair or Deceptive' Credit Card Practices Continue as Americans Wait for New Reforms to Take Effect.

Cleaners at Anheuser-Busch breweries in Newark and Rochester recently found themselves without jobs, despite years of loyal service to the "King of Beers." The brewing behemoth has brought in cleaning contractors who seem bent on cutting costs for the $23 billion dollar multinational on the backs of the working people who keep their plants running and profitable.

The new contracting companies, U.S. Metro Group Inc. and Dawn Brite, have refused to accept job applications from the laid-off custodians who have long worked for AB. These new contractors have slashed wages by a margin that's rumored to be around 40 percent.

As for benefits (like affordable quality healthcare)...there aren't any to speak of.

"Doesn't Anheuser-Busch get that we need to feed our families?" asked 32BJ member Luci Peralta, a cleaner who has worked at the Newark brewery for six years but was laid-off last week (pictured on the right next to Giovanny, another janitor that was laid off on Oct. 31). "With no income, I don't know how I'll put food on the table and make our house payments."

Since merging with Brazilian-Belgian brewing company InBev a year ago, American beer lovers have seen what was once a family-led company that spared little expense turn into "one that is focused intently on cost-cutting and profit margins." The company reported revenues of more than $23.5 billion in 2008.

However, in order to afford to buy Anheuser-Busch last year, InBev had to borrow very heavily from a syndicate of banks, including JP Morgan Chase. As a result, the combined group is now saddled with more than $50 billion in debt. Yet despite weaker sales in 2009, the company said in August that their net profit for the quarter rose 28 percent. What InBev is not saying is that they are trying to turn a huge profit in a downturn economy on the backs of their employees. And while AB's workers have already faced cuts and layoffs, it's a distinct possibility that InBev's attempts to balance their deficit asap will continue to threaten the jobs of current employees at the 11 other breweries and Anheuser-Busch facilities across the country.

The laid-off janitors at the Newark brewery had been making $13.30 an hour and receiving healthcare. Now, they're worrying how they're going to feed their children and pay their bills. "This is an awful time for Anheuser-Busch to watch these workers be put out on the street,"said Kevin Brown, New Jersey area director for SEIU. "The holidays are right around the corner, and in this economy, the workers may not find jobs that pay the same wages. They may only find minimum-wage jobs that don't even cover their basic bills."

"It's as if these guys got a windfall payoff for betting the family's savings on the wrong horse. A fundamental duty to shareholders has been violated, and we expect immediate action by the Boards of Directors to put a stop to these unmerited executive payouts," said SEIU President and SEIU Master Trust Chair Andy Stern.

In letters addressed to the Boards of Directors of 29 major companies in its investment portfolio, the SEIU Master Trust--a consortium of pension funds with approximately $1.3 billion in assets--demand that the companies' boards overhaul their executive compensation structure so top executives do not reap bonuses and other incentivized pay rewards regardless of the companies' performance. The SEIU Master Trust argues that corporate compensation payments based on false economic metrics may be recovered under U.S. Law, and asks the companies to overhaul executive compensation practices to better align them with corporate performance.

Since 2005, the top five most highly paid executives at the 29 financial services firms received a total of more than $3.5 billion in cash and equity pay, and over $1.5 billion in stock options. The companies include the most well-known names in banking, insurance, and financial services, such as AIG, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co. American Express and Goldman Sachs.

"The recent collapse of the companies' stock prices show that the economic metrics used by the boards in justifying these compensation payments were worthless, and that the companies' stock prices were artificially inflated," said Stephen Abrecht, Executive Director of the SEIU Master Trust.

Click here to review the complete list of the 29 companies in the SEIU Master Trust portfolio receiving letters.