OS ANGELES - Vice President Al Gore's flagging campaign yesterday received the biggest boost in weeks as he overwhelmingly won the endorsement of the 13 million-member AFL-CIO, which promptly promised to send thousands of organizers to key states to work for him.
Gore, whose entrance was accompanied by a Latin musical score, was welcomed in the Los Angeles convention center like a hometown hero by hundreds of top union officials and delegates. An energized Gore practically danced through the crowd as he made his way to the podium, pumping dozens of hands.
''With the AFL-CIO by my side, I know we're going to win this nomination next summer, as we will win the presidency next November,'' Gore said. ''I pledge to you today: As president of the United States, I will be the voice for working families.''
Gore's slide in the polls has come partly because his rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, has run to the left of the vice president on issues such as health insurance and gun control. Gore used yesterday's event to say he has stronger ties to labor than Bradley.
Gore said he has been pro-labor even though he comes from Tennessee, a right-to-work state. He said that his father worked for the first minimum wage of 25 cents.
The main objection to the endorsement came from the 1.4-million member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which urged a delay.
''I believe there is not a more momentous decision than the one we make here today,'' said Teamster President James P. Hoffa, the main speaker against the endorsement. ''Our `no' vote is neither criticism of Vice President Gore nor a sign of support for Senator Bradley. We should allow the local union officers and members to learn more about the candidates. Our members have made it clear they don't want to be told how to vote. They want information, not voting instruction.''
Other Teamster officials spoke more bluntly.
''In the South, we always say, `Don't wrap that pig, weigh it.' And we'd like to have it weighed before it's wrapped,'' Teamster Jerry Vincent of Kentucky said in a speech on the convention floor.
In the end, the endorsement was orchestrated largely by AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney, who has worked with Gore for several years and persuaded many reluctant union heads to back the vice president.
''In this compressed election season, I believe this endorsement at this time represents our best ability to act and to make a difference,'' Sweeney said.
Gore has received the endorsement of dozens of top elected officials and various organizations, none of which has stopped his recent slide in the polls. But AFL-CIO officials said their endorsement will translate into on-the-ground activism, with thousands of organizers sent to key primary and caucus states. The union also has millions of dollars at its disposal to help Gore, although Sweeney said corporations vastly outspend the unions.
Bradley had hoped to at least delay Gore's endorsement, and he arranged his schedule to be in Los Angeles in anticipation of speaking to the 700 delegates at the convention. But Bradley decided not to speak to the gathering at the Los Angeles convention center when he learned that Gore would be given overwhelming support from the AFL-CIO.
After the endorsement, Bradley issued a statement thanking the union members who have supported him.
''My commitment to working men and women and the role that labor can play in their lives is unwavering,'' Bradley said. ''I will advocate for workers and stand with them as they organize to improve life for Americans.''
Hoffa and other Teamster officials have met repeatedly with Bradley, who recently sided with the Teamsters' position against allowing Mexican trucks with imported goods from crossing the US border until more inspectors are hired. Gore has said he is reviewing the issue. But both Gore and Bradley back the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has drawn the ire of the Teamsters and some other unions.
The United Auto Workers also opposed the Gore endorsement, but no UAW official spoke on the convention floor. The endorsement, which needed a two-thirds majority, was passed by voice vote.
No Republican presidential candidates appeared here to seek the endorsement, although AFL-CIO officials said an invitation was sent to them. Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson yesterday played down the importance of the endorsement.
''Today's divided vote by AFL-CIO shows two things: how desperate the Al Gore campaign has become and how divided the labor movement is,'' Nicholson said. ''The strong-arm tactics of union boss John Sweeney in ramming this premature endorsement down the throats of rank-and-file union members will ultimately be a wasted and vain effort because it won't stop the Gore campaign's tailspin any more than the early endorsement of another failed liberal, Walter Mondale, did in 1984.''
Gore spokesman Chris Lehane, told of Nicholson's comment, responded: ''The RNC's effort on behalf of working people has been a wasted and vain effort because it has been no effort.''
