By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

November 06, 2009, 4:00PM

Diane Beeny was among the New Jersey Citizen Action protesters this afternoon outside AIG in Downtown Jersey City.

Members of New Jersey Citizen Action picketed in Jersey City outside the Exchange Place offices of AIG today protesting bonuses already paid and those promised to workers at the company that was central to the financial industry meltdown.

“We urge AIG to stop paying bonuses and to make employees who have already received bonuses give them back,” Phyllis Salowe-Keye, executive director of NJCA, said.

NJCA members carried posters and sang songs attacking the insurance giant, which was allotted more than $182 billion from taxpayers to avert its collapse.

About 20 protesters chanted “You got bailed out; We got sold out!” and sang song parodies with lyrics including “No more layoffs, Down with greed, And before we’ll be your slaves, We’ll be buried in our graves.”

NJCA officials say AIG promised $475 million in bonuses to employees of the Financial Products Unit even though that unit was the root of the company’s losses and that total bonuses are estimated at $1.2 billion. They also said AIG CEO Robert Benmosche’s pay is higher than any chief running a bailout company — $10.5 million.

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