(07/10/06) WESTFIELD ?Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) snagged an important union endorsement on his opponent?s home turf Monday.

The Service Employee International Union (SEIU) announced their support for Menendez in Westfield, hometown of Senate hopeful Tom Kean Jr. According to union representatives, Menendez has been the voice of working families in New Jersey. They say he stood in the right place on the issues of workers? wages and resident care.

The union represents workers in the long-term care, building, service, hospital and public service fields. It is also one of the largest unions in New Jersey with 45,000 members.