The Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to endorse within the 2024 presidential race, changing into the one one of many nation’s main 10 unions to not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a press release, the union mentioned it had “few commitments on high Teamsters points from both former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and located no definitive help amongst members for both social gathering’s nominee.”
The Teamsters is without doubt one of the largest unions within the U.S., with 1.3 million members, together with massive numbers of transportation and public works staff.
Though the Teamsters have endorsed Democrats since 1996, Teamsters president Sean O’Brien spoke on the Republican Nationwide Conference in July. The final time the Teamsters endorsed the GOP candidate in a presidential election was in 1988 for then-candidate George H.W. Bush. In addition they endorsed Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 and Richard Nixon in 1972. In 1996, the union didn’t endorse a presidential candidate.
Within the announcement of their resolution Wednesday, the labor union cited a scarcity of dedication from each Trump and Harris to “to not intervene in crucial union campaigns or core Teamsters industries—and to honor our members’ proper to strike.” The union mentioned neither candidate pledged to keep away from authorities intervention in railroad or airline strikes. In 2022, Mr. Biden signed laws that imposed a labor settlement on rail staff to avert a strike through the holidays.
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The Teamsters famous that Harris did pledge to signal the PRO Act, which might strengthen the fitting to unionize, and Trump wouldn’t decide to vetoing “proper to work” laws in a second time period.
O’Brien pressured the union’s first-ever roundtable interview course of for the 2024 endorsement on the finish of final 12 months, inviting all major-party candidates to make their case for the union’s help. Union management met with former President Donald Trump, as properly President Biden earlier this 12 months. In July, Harris changed Mr. Biden because the Democratic nominee and met with the Teamsters on Monday.
O’Brien mentioned the Monday assembly with Harris centered on the identical questions because the earlier roundtables with Trump and Mr. Biden. O’Brien mentioned the rank-and-file members advocated for the passage of the PRO Act and the veto of any “Proper to Work” legal guidelines. He added that Harris acknowledged the variety of political opinion among the many Teamsters, whereas additionally criticizing her Republican opponent through the dialog.
“The roundtable went rather well,” O’Brien mentioned. “One factor that is necessary, we’ve the identical roundtable that we have had for all of the presidential candidates which have are available in. We have requested the identical query to every candidate, largely Teamsters particular points. We additionally ask questions concerning laws such because the PRO Act, chapter reform and antitrust.”
O’Brien mentioned earlier this month on “Face the Nation” he hadn’t endorsed within the 2024 presidential race but as a result of he had but to fulfill Harris, and “you do not rent somebody until you give them an interview.”
The Teamsters government board met on Wednesday following its assembly with Harris to debate the endorsement resolution.
The union carried out polling earlier than Mr. Biden exited the presidential race, and located a plurality of its members backed him over Trump, 44% to 36%. However in a subsequent ballot of Harris and Trump, the previous president received way more help, 60% to 34%, and in a second ballot that concluded on Sept. 15, members once more selected Trump by a big margin, 58% to 31%.
In a press release, the Trump marketing campaign touted the ballot numbers displaying help, saying that “whereas the Government Board of the Teamsters is making no formal endorsement, the overwhelming majority of rank-and-file working women and men on this necessary group need President Donald Trump again within the White Home.”
In response to the Teamsters’ resolution, Harris spokesperson Lauren Hitt touted Harris’ ties to organized labor, together with her strolling with a United Auto Employees picket line in 2019, and famous Trump’s latest feedback throughout an interview with Elon Musk suggesting that hanging staff needs to be fired. The United Auto Employees filed federal labor expenses in opposition to Musk and Trump, accusing them of attempting to “intimidate and threaten” staff.
“Because the Vice President informed the Teamsters on Monday, when she is elected president, she’s going to look out for the Teamsters rank-and-file it doesn’t matter what,” Hitt added.
“I work with numerous Republicans… and I am getting numerous optimistic push for Trump,” mentioned Brett Ohnstad, a Teamsters member and corrections officer in Minnesota. “Nevertheless, we’re not taking a look at who’s going to be the candidate that fills the entire gamut. We’re trying right here at simply who’s going to help labor.”
“Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions should be on the forefront of all the things the Teamsters do,” O’Brien mentioned. “Our last resolution round a doable Presidential endorsement is not going to be made calmly, however you could be positive it will likely be pushed immediately by our numerous membership.”
Some factions inside the Teamsters, such because the Teamsters’ nationwide Black caucus, broke with O’Brien earlier this 12 months and endorsed Harris.
The endorsement may affect sure battleground states within the Nov. 5 election the place union membership is robust, together with Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
O’Brien made waves at this 12 months’s Republican Nationwide Conference after delivering some of the anti-big enterprise speeches in latest RNC reminiscence and changing into the primary boss within the group’s 121-year historical past to deal with the conference. He was not invited to talk on the Democratic Nationwide Committee.
“Right this moment, the Teamsters are right here to say we aren’t beholden to anybody or any social gathering,” O’Brien mentioned through the July speech. “We’ll create an agenda and work with a bipartisan coalition, prepared to perform one thing actual for the American employee. And I do not care about getting criticized.”
