A nationwide election night poll of union members found that 68 percent of union members voted for a Democrat in the U.S. House races and 70 percent voted for a Democrat in the Senate races.

The votes came despite the finding that 47 percent of those union members polled said Dems did not have a clear plan for strengthening the economy and creating jobs.

"The reality of the economy is clear to working people, and they made it their priority (on Election Day, Nov. 5)," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "But in our survey, union members said they do not think either party has a plan to strengthen the economy. There's a clear message coming out of this for Democrats: they have to have a strong economic message for 2004." Democrats lost control of the Senate and failed to win a majority in the U.S. House on Nov. 5.

"Democrats," said the Washington Post, "need a strategy and a message for 2004 - not to mention a (presidential) candidate. For months, the party tried to make the economy into a catalyzing national issue that would lift their candidates across the board to victory in close races. The party tried mightily to play down the national security issues - Iraq and others - that voters placed near the top of their list of concerns. Given that supposed rage over Election 2000 did not materialize, and the Democratic issues did not galvanize voters, the party faces a serious internal debate over how to challenge Bush during the next two years."

When asked about their top voting issues for a candidate for Congress, 44 percent of those union members surveyed said "economy and jobs," followed by health care and prescription drugs (34 percent) and Social Security (25 percent). "Gun issues" were cited by 12 percent of union members in the survey. Another question asked "what members were saying with their vote," and 37 percent said they wanted to "support action against Iraq."

"Our major concern is on the issues that impact our members," said AFL-CIO Building Trades Department President Edward Sullivan. "Davis-Bacon protection, growth of good jobs in the construction industry, protection of Social Security, and reductions in prescription drug costs. To this end, we have friends on both sides of the aisle who stand with us on these critical matters."

In battleground Senate races, the poll found that even more union members - 72 percent - voted for the Democratic candidate, with similar results in U.S. House races. This margin is consistent with voting trends for union members in 1998 and 2000, according to Hart Research, which did the polling.

"We don't believe Republicans have any plans to restart the economy - their agenda is the agenda of special interests in Washington, not the interests of working families," said AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, chair of the AFL-CIO Executive Council's political committee.

When union members were asked the two top issues affecting their choices in House races, pocketbook issues prevailed. Forty-four percent surveyed named the economy and jobs, followed by health care and prescription drugs with 34 percent and 25 percent naming Social Security. Terrorism and national security ranked fourth with 24 percent.

When asked whether "unions need to invest time and money in politics and legislation today, to counter the influence that corporations and wealthy special interest have," 73 percent of members agreed, up from 69 percent when that question was asked in 2002.

"Corporate interests have been salivating at the prospect of seeing their entire agenda enacted," says McEntee. "Their wish list includes possibly speeding up tax cuts, substantial nationwide limits on the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice cases, plus a major overhaul of the tax code to reduce the 'burden' on corporations."

Unions and their members handed out nearly 17 million worksite leaflets, made 5 million phone calls to fellow union members, sent 15 million pieces of mail and put 4,000 political coordinators in the field. On Election Day nearly 225,000 union members volunteered to get out the vote.