By Doug Cunningham

The Teamsters union has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President just before crucial primaries in Ohio and Pennsylvania, states rich with blue-collar voters. Teamsters President Jim Hoffa:

[Hoffa]: “We believe that he’s speaking to issues that resonate with our members. He’s talking about calling up the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada when he becomes president and reforming NAFTA. I think that’s important. He’s talking about fairness in the tax system; he’s talking about universal health care. He’s talking about a lot of issues that are important to us."

Hoffa says the Teamsters Obama endorsement means tens of thousands of workers in the upcoming key primary states of Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania being mobilized and urged to vote for the Illinois senator. Hoffa says this endorsement isn’t about being against the other Democratic candidate.

[Hoffa 2]: "This is an endorsement of Obama and it really is not about Hillary Clinton. It’s not anti-Clinton."

Obama also picked up the endorsement of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Wednesday.