Obama Wins Endorsement of US Teachers' Union

  13 July 2008

Barack Obama, the U.S. Democratic Party's presumed presidential  nominee, has won the endorsement of one of the country's largest teachers' unions.

Members of the American Federation of Teachers, meeting Sunday in Chicago, voted to urge all of the union's more than one million members to support Obama in the U.S. general election in November.

Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, spoke by satellite to the union delegates afterwards to thank them for their support and discuss his education policy.  He said current U.S. government policy on primary education, the so-called "No Child Left Behind" program, has been hampered by inadequate funding, and he also called for greater attention to special education programs aimed at helping children with developmental difficulties.

Obama also is due to address the National Council of La Raza, a leading Hispanic civil-rights group, later Sunday.  His presumed Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, will travel to San Diego, California, to address the same group on Monday.

The candidates' speeches to the La Raza convention will mark the third time in three weeks both men havbe addressed major Hispanic organizations.  Political analysts say Hispanic voters could play a pivotal role in this year's presidential contest.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters. 

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