March 5, 2012

UFCW Releases Congressional Scorecard

WASHINGTON, DC-The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today released its Congressional Scorecard for the 1^st session of the 112^th Congress.

Whether it was jobs or workers’ rights, each member of Congress was judged on their commitment to America’s working families. The bills that were scored each had or would have had a real-life impact on the 1.3 million members the UFCW represents in retail, grocery, and meatpacking.

“By and large, the first session of the 112^th Congress was a disappointment,” said UFCW International President Joe Hansen. “House Republicans focused on anti-worker politics instead of jobs. And the Senate, while rightly blocking many of the extreme measures passed by the House, was too gridlocked by its own archaic rules to do much more. This scorecard shows in the clearest of terms which members of Congress stood with workers and which members stood in our way.”

UFCW positively scored votes supporting the American Jobs Act, extending Trade Adjustment Assistance, and protecting the right of workers to organize. On the other hand, it penalized members who voted to dismantle workers’ rights and pass the most extreme budget in generations.

The breakdown of grades is as follows:

Senate Breakdown                         House Breakdown  

“The release of this scorecard serves to remind the entire Congress that they will be held accountable for their actions,” Hansen said. “Simply put, there are too many F’s here. We need our elected representatives to stand with workers, not corporations.  We hope that in 2012 Congress shifts away from petty partisan politics and toward creating more jobs and opportunity.”

To search interactively for a member’s score by zip code, click here.

For a pdf of the full scorecard, click here.