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Obama Gains Labor Union Support

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By NEDRA PICKLER, The Associated Press

Published: February 16, 2008

MILWAUKEE - Gathering strength, Sen. Barack Obama collected a key labor endorsement and coaxed away one of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's delegates Friday, at the same time he criticized his rival for supporting legislation harmful to workers.

"Her supporting NAFTA didn't give jobs to the American people," Obama said of the free trade agreement implemented while Bill Clinton was in the White House. "Her supporting a bankruptcy bill made it harder for people to get out of debt that didn't help them with the bills that were stacking up on their desks."

Obama traveled across Wisconsin during the day, hoping to add the state to a string of primary victories. At the same time, he hoped his second labor endorsement in as many days would help him in Ohio and Texas.

The Illinois senator won the endorsement of the 1.9 million-member Service Employees International Union, one day after he collected the support of the United Food and Commercial Workers, a politically active union with 69,000 members in Ohio and 26,000 in Texas. The food workers have 19,000 members in Wisconsin, which votes Tuesday.

An Iowa City superdelegate who is a SEIU member switched from Clinton to Obama after the endorsement.

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