Report Card: New Mexico Congresswoman’s Anti-Worker Record   by James Parks, Oct 23, 2006

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In the decade she’s been a member of Congress, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) has voted against the interests of working families 78 percent of the time. Now the union workers in her district are holding her accountable.

Today, New Mexico union leaders are releasing in Albuquerque a report card to union members on Wilson’s record. The AFL-CIO is compiling report cards on some members of Congress to highlight how they voted on jobs and wages, retirement security, health care, tax fairness and education, among other issues. The first report card released last week on Rep. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.) showed Taylor voted with President Bush 90.91 percent of the time—and only 15 percent with working families.

Today’s report shows Wilson voted with President Bush 86.36 percent of the time. The AFL-CIO has endorsed Wilson’s opponent, state Attorney General Patricia Madrid.

Says Chris Chavez, executive director of the New Mexico Federation of Labor:

With the mid-term elections right around the corner, it’s important that we hold our elected officials accountable for the votes they cast for or against the priorities of working families. As Congresswoman Wilson embarks on her final stretch to rally voters, we will not allow her to sweep her poor working family record under the rug.

Wilson voted for a health care plan that would lead to higher health care premiums for the majority of small business employees and, in April 2005, voted for a budget proposal that cut Medicaid by $10 billion and veterans’ health care by $13.5 billion. Currently, there are 396,000 uninsured people in New Mexico and 46.6 million nationwide.

Among her other anti-worker votes:

• Wilson opposed increases to the federal minimum wage seven times—yet voted six times to raise her own pay by $23,400.
• She backed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which will increase poverty and inequality in Central America while lowering wages and employment in this country.
• She refused to support a bill to stop currency manipulation by the People’s Republic of China.
• Wilson voted against protecting the pension benefits of older workers when their companies switch to “cash balance” pension plans.

You can check out how often your members of Congress voted with President Bush here and check the AFL-CIO’s Congressional Voting Record site to see how your representative and senators voted on working family issues.

And don’t forget to check out the AFL-CIO Political Action Center at www.votenov7.org, where you can register to vote, learn about working family issues and download candidate comparison fliers.

If you’re not a union member, join Working America, the AFL-CIO community affiliate, and join the fight for good jobs, affordable health care, quality education and secure retirements.

This portion of this website is paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, 815 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. 

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