WASHINGTON – The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada on Jan. 9 became the first international union to announce its endorsement of U.S. Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States.

“Barack Obama is the UA’s choice because he has always fought for working people throughout his career and will do the best job of bringing badly-needed change to Washington,” said UA International President William P. Hite. “Senator Obama will help us keep existing jobs and work to develop new higher-paying jobs here in America, reform our health care system, fix our ailing schools and make sure that the pensions of our retirees are safe.”

“I'm honored to receive the endorsement of the United Association, and look forward to working with them to bring big changes to Washington that will help working people meet the challenges we face in this changing economy,” Obama said.

The UA is a multi-craft union whose members are engaged in the fabrication, installation and servicing of piping systems. There are approximately 340,000 highly-skilled UA members who belong to more than 300 individual local unions across North America.

Founded in 1889, the United Association serves as a voice for workers through negotiation and collective bargaining with employing contractor groups, such as the Mechanical Contractors Association of America and the National Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors. The UA is also a member of the Building & Construction Trades Department, the AFL-CIO, and the Canadian Federation of Labour.