The conclusion of the first session of the 105th Congress wraps up another defensive year for the labor movement on Capitol Hill. Having heard the message sent by working people in the 1996 elections, Republicans slowed their pace of attack on a variety of fronts. But danger to workers’ interests continued. A still-growing coalition of anti-labor Republicans and Democrats participated in several high-profile attacks on working people, most notably the failed bipartisan scheme to expand the job-killing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by renewing "Fast Track." The deterioration of the voting records of numerous Democrats — as shown in this scorecard — provides ample evidence of the need to make our voices heard.

Take the time to point out the voting record of your members of Congress at your next local union meeting — and put the credit (or blame) where it belongs.

The UE 1997 Congressional Scorecard is based on six important votes that had a direct impact on the lives of working families over the past year. The issues — and UE's position — are listed here.

The Issues We Used

Here are the issues we used to rate members of Congress for 1997 ... and UE's position on each:

• Overtime Repeal
• NAFTA Expansion
• China - Most Favored Nation (MFN)
• Tax Cuts for the Rich
• "Budget Deal" to Cut Medicare
• Spending Priorities

OR - Overtime Repeal

The Senate voted 51-47 on June 4 to end debate on the repeal of overtime pay. The vote failed because 60 votes are needed to invoke cloture to end the debate. An "X" indicates a correct vote against cloture, thereby blocking the bill from coming to a vote.

The House voted 222-210 on March 19 to pass HR1, the so-called "comp-time" or "flex-time" bill. An "X" indicates a correct vote against this attempt to repeal overtime pay as we know it.

NA - NAFTA Expansion

The Senate voted (68-31) on November 4 to end debate on the "Fast Track" bill to expand NAFTA. Debate ended when more than 60 Senators voted for cloture. An "X" indicates a correct vote against cloture and for preventing a vote on the bill by holding it up with a filibuster.

On the eve of the "Fast Track" battle, the House voted (182-234) unsuccessfully to expand NAFTA by adding more than two dozen countries in the Caribbean and Central American regions (HR2644). An "X" indicates a correct vote against this bill to expand the job-killing NAFTA to even more low-wage countries. NOTE: Both these votes give an indication of how your member of Congress may have voted had the "Fast Track" bill come up for a vote.

CM - China - Most Favored Nation (MFN)

Each year the President must recommend, and Congress must confirm, the decision to grant "Most Favored Nation" (MFN) status to foreign countries who trade with U.S. corporations. MFN status grants special trade privileges. The Senate failed to revoke MFN status for China in a 22-77 vote on July 17. On June 24, the House of Representatives likewise failed to revoke this special trade relationship with China with a 173-259 vote. Big business fully supported MFN for China as thousands of U.S. companies now operate in China, taking advantage of the miserably low wages. An "X" indicates a correct vote to oppose MFN status for China.

TX - Tax Cuts for the Rich

As part of the federal budget deal, Congress passed an incredibly complex bill that cuts taxes, primarily for the rich and super-rich. This $100 billion tax cut gives big breaks to bosses, while the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said that this was "The H&R Block support bill" because any tax cuts for regular working people would be nearly impossible to obtain due to the complicated nature of the cuts. The Senate approved the bill 92-8 on July 31, following a 389-43 vote for passage in the House of Representatives the same day. An "X" indicates a correct vote against this gigantic tax cut for the rich.

FB - "Budget Deal" to Cut Medicare

The House voted 333-99 on May 21 and the Senate 78-22 on May 23 for a budget scheme that slashes more than $115 billion from Medicare, our health care program for seniors. Medicaid also suffered big hits. It’s not Medicare or Medicaid that cause the federal deficit, but rather a failure to rein in escalating military spending, growing interest on the federal debt paid to billionaire bankers, and a refusal to make the rich pay their fair share of taxes. An "X" indicates a correct vote against this disgraceful attack on the health care of our nation’s elderly and poor.

SP - Spending Priorities

Senate: As part of the ongoing budget debate, the Senate voted 73-27 on June 25 to again cut $115 billion from Medicare and raise the age of eligibility for Medicare from the present 65 to 67 years of age. The age increase provision was eventually removed from the final budget bill, but the cuts remained and were signed into law by President Clinton. An "X" indicates a correct vote against this outrageous attempt to rip-off working people by raising the age of Medicare eligibility to 67.

House: Although the U.S. already has a military budget greater than all other countries on earth combined, the House failed in a 209-216 vote on June 23 to transfer $331 million from the failed and wasteful B-2 bomber to equipment for our National Guard and Reserves. An "X" indicates a correct vote for such a transfer. Both of these votes indicate the degree to which Congress is willing to sacrifice the needs of working people for the corporate interests who supply most campaign cash.

Heroes!

The following 10 lawmakers posted a perfect 100% pro-worker voting record on the 1997 UE Congressional Scorecard. They deserve recognition and thanks for their efforts in support of working people!

Total Zeros!

A total of 13 members of Congress failed to support working people even once in 1997, as measured by the UE Scorecard.