The Building & Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, an alliance of 13 national and international unions of skilled craft workers in the United States and Canada, voted to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president today.

According to their statement:

"Our endorsement today of Senator Obama marks the beginning of the fight to return the reins of power to a presidential administration that places high value on the interests of America's working families," said Building Trades President Mark H. Ayers. "We have pledged to Senator Obama our determination to engage our members in detailed conversations concerning the stark differences between his view of America and that of Senator John McCain - whose candidacy, in our minds, is simply a warmed-over version of the anti-worker, anti-union tenure of George W. Bush."