Hours after declaring her candidacy for U.S. Senate, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa picked up her first endorsement — from the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

Among the union’s membership is Local 121, who work at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Naval Facilities Hawaii, Naval Facilities Pacific, Defense Logistics Agency Document Services and Command Navy Region. Union leaders praised her work to end defense furloughs.

Hanabusa’s opponent, Sen. Brian Schatz, still has more endorsements thus far after grabbing a number of unions who’d supported Hanabusa in the past. But the IFPT’s backing takes some of the sting off.

In a statement, IFPTE President Gregory Juneman said:

“Congresswoman Hanabusa has stood strong in support of American workers, particularly the workers at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Most recently she has been urging Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to take a close look at the Pentagon’s puzzling sequestration policy, which calls for across-the-board furloughs among all defense components, including services like the Navy and DLA that have the resources necessary.

IFPTE Local 121 President Jamie Hiranaka also said:

“Colleen is a true champion of labor – most especially for the dedicated working men and women of the federal workforce and Hawaii …. When it comes to her overall labor votes, she holds a 97% AFL-CIO approval rating. Her experience as a lawmaker, and her familiarity and expertise in appropriations, armed services, and defense issues, makes her a natural in the Senate and invaluable on Capitol Hill.”

— Kery Murakami