State Sen. Tom Bakk, the Senate Tax Committee chairman and a retired carpenter by trade, was endorsed by the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 82, which has 4,000 members who are painters, drywall finishers, glaziers and glassworkers.

“This election is about jobs, and we believe that as governor, Tom is going to help us put people back to work,” said the union’s Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Terry Nelson.

Said Bakk:

“This winter more than 50 percent of trades people in Minnesota were without a job. As a retired carpenter, I’ve been in that position and know the stress those families are facing. The state needs a bold, experienced leader like me who will create jobs.”

Other union endorsements for Bakk include the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council, with 50,000 construction members across the state, the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters and the Duluth Building and Construction Trades Council.