But the sand diggers said the land was public domain and began organizing with the help of a union, a member of a leftist labor coalition linked with the guerrillas.

Other unions within the labor coalition are less enthusiastic about the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s wrongheaded stance.

A broad labor coalition has fielded 16 independent candidates to challenge incumbent Democrats in this year's legislative elections.

"I think it's going to be harder to hold the labor coalition together," said Charles Brecher, director of research for the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit civic watchdog.

As the Chair of Change to Win, Burger became the first woman to lead an American labor coalition.

"What Fidel Velazquez left workers was constantly declining living standards," said Agustin Rodriguez Fuentes, the head of a dissident labor coalition.

Nor is anyone certain that the labor coalition will not crumble.

Halting negotiations to sell the airline's kitchens appears to be part of the give-and-take under way in the early stages of talks between the airline and the labor coalition.

A United spokesman had no specific comment on the flight attendants' decision, saying only that it would remain receptive to discusssions with the labor coalition.

With the endorsement, Mr. McGreevey gained more than just votes from the labor coalition and the million workers across the state that it represents.