Representatives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce bussed through Meridian Monday, making a stop at South Industrial Park’s Structural Steel plant to endorse U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, who is running against former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat, for the senatorial seat vacated by Trent Lott last year.

Wicker was appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to take Lott’s place until the Nov. 4 election.

The Chamber of Commerce is touring the country in its bus, dubbed the VoteForBusiness Bandwagon, to endorse U.S. House and Senate candidates that have a record of voting with chamber of commerce recommendations.

The chamber calls this a “key vote” record. When the House and Senate votes on an issue that is of importance to the chamber, the chamber will send letters stating their voting recommendations. Congressmen who vote with the chamber’s recommendations at least 70 percent of the time are considered “friends of the chamber.”

Wicker voted with the chamber 95 percent of the time during his career in the U.S. House.

Wicker said the chamber is critical to job creation in the U.S.

“They represent three million small businesses and job creators of all different sizes and sectors and I’m proud to have a record of working as a teammate with them,” he said.

Wicker spoke on various subjects Monday, which he said were important both to him and to the chamber of commerce. One of those was a bill that would make it easier for labor unions to form. He said the bill would remove workers’ ability to use a secret ballot when voting to form a union, and that the formation of unions hurts business development.

“We’ve got to preserve the right of America to have a secret ballot when there’s an attempt to unionize,” he said.

Wicker talked about the energy crisis as well, saying that he is co-sponsoring a bill that would allow oil drilling in the vicinity of the Rocky mountains and more drilling offshore. He said he believes this bill could help lower gas prices.

Wicker also said he is co-sponsoring a bill designed to make it easier for small business to provide employee health care by allowing them to form groups, and that he supports making the 2001 tax cuts permanent.

In a prepared statement Bill Miller, the U.S. Chamber’s senior vice president and national political director, called Wicker a champion for the people of Mississippi and an invaluable leader on important business issues.

“By continuing to put the priorities of his state’s businesses and workers first, we believe Senator Wicker will be a leader in creating economic growth and jobs,” he said.