In 2002, The Detroit News called the Congressman “the No. 1 champion of Michigan workers”. The paper credited Dingell for working out a compromise between auto companies and environmentalists that preserved jobs and will lead to cleaner air in the long run.

It should come as no surprise, then, that in the current Congressional session, Congressman Dingell has again shown himself to be one of the nation’s leading voices in support of American working families and the manufacturers that employ them. Along with other Democrats in the Michigan Delegation, he proposed a comprehensive plan for reviving the manufacturing sector that has sufferred under the policies of the Bush-Cheney Administration. He introduced legislation cracking down on both outsourcing by American employers and currency manipulation by foreign countries which unfairly cripples American manufacturers. And, he led the fight against the Bush-Cheney Administration’s outrageous attempts to appoint a pro-outsourcing manufacturing czar and cook the books on their dismal manufacturing record by trying to expand the definition of manufacturing to include burger flipping!

Congressman Dingell is also a leading advocate for fair trade. He opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement and has focused on creating more access for American companies to international markets. Over the last decade, he has tried to improve US trade agreements by advocating for the inclusion of quality labor and environmental standards. He believes that when these are not included, there is an inevitable race to the bottom, hurting both workers and the global environment.

In 2003, Dingell achieved a 100% on both the AFL-CIO electronic voting scorecard and the UAW Voting record. Yet, while he continues to win the support of every major union for his re-election to Congress, he has still been able to earn the endorsement of business groups such as the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the Michigan Farm Bureau.