A growing majority of people say the nation and the economy -- both the U.S. economy and their own -- are moving in the wrong direction, a new poll for the AFL-CIO shows. And they have little confidence that either GOP President George W. Bush or either party in Congress cares about their needs.

The State of Working America survey, by Peter D. Hart Research, showed 59 percent of the 805 respondents are dissatisfied with the U.S. economy, while 38 percent are satisfied. That's a marked change from February, when 53 percent were unhappy and 46 percent were satisfied. The survey has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points either way, pollster Guy Molyneux said.

And by more than 2-to-1 margins, the survey respondents trust neither Bush nor Congress to "look out for working people's interests." Bush loses the tally by a 67-30 percent margin, Congressional Republicans lag by a 71-22 spread and the Democrats -- whom Molyneux pointed out have no power over Congress -- trail 71-21.

"Working families are in a deep and growing economic crisis, and they know it, even if the White House and Wall Street crowd doesn't," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney in introducing the federation's annual survey, to coincide with Labor Day.

"They're worried and they're right," he declared. "Working people don't see anybody in charge looking out for their economic interests." That included not just the politicians, but companies, Sweeney said. He added the survey found no difference between union and non-union workers in their viewpoints.

He noted government statistics, also released Aug. 30, showed a higher percentage of people in poverty, a second straight year of flat real household incomes and another rise in the number without health insurance. In the survey, lack of health insurance was the top cause of respondents' economic uncertainty.

That personal uncertainty also showed up in the data, with 53 percent saying their incomes are falling behind the rising cost of living. And 35 percent -- the largest share -- blamed health care costs as the biggest problem.

Molyneux noted a sharp rise in economic dissatisfaction just since Bush won the White House last November. "In late 2004, it was the peak of economic satisfaction over the last 5 years," and that helped Bush, the pollster said.

"Beyond the stagnant standard of living, a plurality or a majority say we're on the wrong track in health care, retirement and jobs," Molyneux added. He pointed out that when further questions were asked about health care, 64 percent "voiced enormous unhappiness and concern about the health care system, and that's even more than were concerned in 1994," when Democratic President Bill Clinton proposed a national health care plan that the Republicans and their business backers beat.

And people still want guaranteed national health care, the AFL-CIO survey added, with 63 percent saying the government should pass a law ordering large companies -- notably Wal-Mart -- to cover their workers, even if the firms complain about shouldering health care costs in a global economy.

Even more, 72 percent, "want the federal government to guarantee health care coverage" for all, the survey added. The type of coverage was not specified.

In his wide-ranging press conference about the survey results, Sweeney promised that labor would continue to fight for those causes, despite the departure in late July of three major unions -- the Service Employees, the Teamsters and the United Food and Commercial Workers -- from the AFL-CIO.

But he conceded their exit "is a real tragedy for working people and has led to the popping of champagne corks at the White House, Wal-Mart and in corporate headquarters." However, Sweeney said he hoped "that we will be working as closely together as possible" with the departed unions on future causes, including political action.

Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associate, Inc., news service. Used by permission.