Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry won rousing applause at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters annual Unity Conference, May 16, with a pledge to create and protect American jobs and to support working families.

“We know that a strong economy is a growing middle class where every American has a chance to work and an opportunity to succeed,” Kerry told about 2,000 union members in Las Vegas. “Teamsters know better than anyone that America is at its best when Americans are at work.”

Kerry blasted the Bush administration for policies that hurt American workers and have cost jobs, including the loss of jobs overseas due to flawed trade policies. “I’m going to put jobs first in the United States of America,” he said. He added that he will respond to trade violations and make sure new trade pacts include enforceable labor and environmental provisions.

Jim Hoffa, Teamsters general president, said this year’s election provides a clear choice. “This campaign isn’t about ‘anybody but Bush,’” Hoffa said. “This is about John Kerry standing up for working families. John Kerry is a candidate we stand with proudly.”

Kerry praised the Teamsters for fighting for millions of working families. He recalled the days when he was a Teamster working for a Boston-area grocery chain, First National stores. “I was a Teamster member for several years while in college. I would never have earned the money I had earned or learned what I learned without that experience,” he said.