UAW won't endorse any presidential candidate

DETROIT (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers union said on Wednesday it has decided not to endorse any candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.

"There's a healthy diversity of opinion among UAW members as to which candidate can most effectively challenge the special interests who want to capture our government on behalf of the wealthy and the privileged," UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement.

"We encourage our active and retired members to participate as individuals in caucuses and primaries," he added.

The UAW's International Executive Board has taken a position of "no endorsement" at this time in the upcoming presidential primaries, the union said.

The UAW endorsed U.S. Senator John Kerry for president during his failed campaign in the 2004 election.

The backing of organized labor has traditionally been a strong source of support for the Democratic party.

(Reporting by Poornima Gupta, editing by Phil Berlowitz)