Trying to shore up her support on the left, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand today announced an endorsement from the New York State Council of Machinists and Aerospace Workers for her 2010 Senate bid.

“Senator Gillibrand is a champion for New York’s working people,” said union President James Conigliaro. “She is a proud supporter of the Employee free Choice Act, universal health care, and fair trade agreements that protect American jobs.”

It is the Democrat’s first labor endorsement and it comes 16 months before the primary election. But the nod from the 35,000-strong machinists’ state branch, alone, is unlikely to scare off many of Gillibrand’s prospective primary opponents. Several New York political strategists said the union has only limited pull in state politics.