The battle of the Dems for labor support continues today, with the Edwards campaign now confirming that he has secured the endorsement of the 520,000-strong carpenters union.

This is a big get for Edwards, because it'll quiet all the "Edwards is failing to get the support of labor" talk that has been swirling since Chris Dodd announced that he'd scored the backing of the firefighters union.

That talk increased this morning, when Hillary's campaign announced that it had won the support of another major union, the machinists. The campaigns, obviously, are all duking it out for union support in advance of Labor Day. Question: Where does all this leave Joe Biden, a longtime friend of labor?

Statements from the Edwards and Hillary campaigns on these endorsements after the jump.

Here's the statement from Edwards emailed out by his campaign:

“I am honored to receive the support of the Carpenters Union,” said Edwards. “For more than a century, they have been fighting for working Americans and standing up for the values that have made our country great – hard work, responsibility, and fairness. America was built by men and women who worked with their hands, and it’s labor that made our country great. I look forward to joining with the Carpenters to build One America, where every person has the chance to work hard and get ahead.

“More than ever, we need a president who will stand up for working families,” Edwards continued. “I have walked picket lines and helped organize thousands of workers, and I’ve seen firsthand what unions go through every single day trying to protect the right to organize, trying to collectively bargain, and trying to get a decent wage and health care. If we’re going to grow the middle class and ensure fairness, we need to strengthen workers’ rights. I have always stood on the side of working Americans and I always will.”

And here's Camp Hillary's statement on the machinists:

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The IAM is among the nation’s largest industrial trade unions, representing over 700,000 active and retired members in airline, aerospace, manufacturing, railroad, woodworking and shipbuilding industries, and is a member of the AFL-CIO.

"Hillary Clinton earned the IAM’s endorsement by focusing on jobs, health care, education and trade - the bread and butter issues of the American middle class," said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. "She is the only candidate of either party to come forward with a comprehensive manufacturing policy and the only candidate to connect with millions of Americans who feel invisible to the current administration."