Clinton Picks Up Endorsement For President

Monday, September 24th 2007, 8:30 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers endorsed Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday, saying she has the best chance to win the presidential election.

``Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to deliver the chance America needs,'' union president John J. Flynn said. ``After years of an administration that has turned its back on working families, we need a president whose priorities are our priorities.''

Flynn said the union's executive council voted unanimously to endorse Clinton and that the New York senator was the clear winner in a poll of their members.

Clinton said that she was honored to get the endorsement.

``In my administration, America's working families will again have a partner in the White House,'' she said.

The bricklayers say they are the oldest continuous union in North America and that they represent about 100,000 skilled masonry-trowel tradescraft workers.

This is Clinton's fifth union endorsement.

Meanwhile, one of the largest municipal jail unions in the country said Monday that it will endorse Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for president.

The endorsement would be Obama's first from a union.

``Barack Obama is the one candidate who will put an end to the divisiveness in this country so that we can finally achieve greater economic prosperity for the working class and health care coverage for all Americans,'' said Norman Seabrook, the president of New York's Correction Officers' Benevolent Association. The group has about 9,000 active members.

Obama said in the same statement that he looked forward to working with the union as he continued to build his campaign for president.

``It's an honor to have the endorsement of these men and women who put themselves at risk everyday to serve on the front lines of our nation's criminal justice system,'' he said.