The event was organized by Jeanine and Consumers Union, which along with SEIU, collected 120,000 cards from members. We went out to some of our lists and added 5,000 more in a day. The first hearing on the bill is scheduled for March 13. From the CU/CFA/SEIU release:

In mid-January, Bank of America reportedly sent notices of steep rate hikes to many of its cardholders. The move has prompted protests from consumers who face rate hikes even though they're in good standing with Bank of America.

A 2006 report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) found that credit card fees have risen much faster than inflation and that late fees were assessed on 35 percent of all credit card accounts in 2005. That year, the six largest credit card issuers collected $7.4 billion in penalty fees from cardholders that made late payments or exceeded their credit limit. The GAO concluded that current fee disclosures are difficult to understand, bury important information, and often fail to convey to cardholders when late fees would be charged and what actions could result in penalty interest rates.