MILWAUKEE — Sen. Barack Obama has won the backing of the United Food and Commercial Workers, a politically active union with significant membership in the upcoming Democratic battlegrounds.
The 1.3-million member UFCW gives Obama an organizational boost in vital upcoming contests, with 69,000 members in the Buckeye state and another 26,000 in Texas. The two states have a large number of delegates and are where Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton hopes to stop Obama’s winning streak on March 4.
The food workers also have 19,000 members in Wisconsin, which holds a primary Tuesday.
The union is made up of supermarket workers and meatpackers; 40 percent of its members are under age 30.
The Service Employees International Union executive board planned a conference call Thursday night to consider an Obama endorsement, according to a person familiar with the plans.
