AFL-CIO endorses Obama

CHICAGO, June 26 (UPI) -- Presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama Thursday received the endorsement of the AFL-CIO.

The Chicago Tribune reported the endorsement had been widely expected. The labor organization is promising its "largest ever grassroots mobilization," which will be concentrated in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, the newspaper reported.

By Labor Day, labor officials said they expect volunteers will go to 300,000 union voters' homes, make more than 300,000 phone calls and distribute more than 2 million fliers in support of the Obama campaign.