Even so, the labor endorsement is important in the Democratic contest.

Some of the president's actions have upset some Republicans in the House who ran with labor endorsements last November.

Senator John Kerry is poised to win a string of crucial labor endorsements before the Wisconsin primary next Tuesday, labor officials say.

In the past week, Dr. Dean lined up two important labor endorsements, and on Saturday he became the first Democrat to withdraw from the public campaign finance system.

Ms. Collins's biggest labor endorsement is from the Civil Service Employees Association, which has 48,000 members in Suffolk.

For his part Mr. Case, a shy and diffident man, had picked up some labor endorsements.

We said from the beginning, we're not going to get every labor endorsement.

John Ravitz, the Republican running in a special election for a State Senate seat for the East Side of Manhattan, received a major labor endorsement yesterday.

Moreover, the expected labor endorsement will not be unanimous, with the teamsters and the auto workers planning to vote against endorsing Mr. Gore.

Unlike some other hotels, the staff is unionized, a plus for candidates and parties seeking labor endorsements.