Teamsters Decline to Endorse Any Presidential Candidate for First Time In Decades

For the primary time since 1996, the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters is declining to make a U.S. presidential candidate endorsement.

The 1.3 million-strong union introduced the long-awaited choice from its basic government board on Wednesday. Alleging that each Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris had failed to make “serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” IBT basic president Sean O’Brien mentioned in an announcement that in 2024 “no candidate for President has earned the endorsement” of his union.

Specifically, O’Brien added, the candidates didn’t pledge to keep away from intervening in Teamsters-represented industries and in Teamsters campaigns. (In 2022, Congress stepped in throughout contract negotiations to stop a nationwide railroad strike and “tens of thousands of railroad Teamsters were forced to accept a new contract implemented by Congress without member support,” the union argued.) The overall president additionally mentioned that the candidates didn’t promise to “honor our members’ right to strike.”

The union unveiled its choice after revealing outcomes from inside membership polling that discovered that whereas President Joe Biden was nonetheless within the U.S. presidential race, union members largely supported his candidacy (44.3 %) over Trump’s (36.3 %). When Harris ascended because the Democratic candidate, digital polls discovered Trump gaining the bulk (59.6 %) over Harris (34 %). Straw polls yielded related outcomes, with Trump securing 58 % assist over Harris’ 31 %.

This 12 months’s choice ends a streak of Teamsters endorsements of Democratic presidential candidates that started with the 2000 election.

O’Brien, who was elected as IBT basic president in 2021, beating out longtime president James P. Hoffa, was clear from the outset of this 12 months’s election that he needed to do issues in another way this time round. Stoking controversy amongst some in his union, O’Brien met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago property and on the Teamsters’ Washington, D.C. headquarters this 12 months and have become the primary Teamsters president to communicate on the Republican Nationwide Conference. A Democratic Nationwide Conference invitation was subsequently not prolonged, he has mentioned, although Harris met with leaders of the union on Monday in an try to win their assist.

Harris has received the endorsements of many different outstanding American labor teams, together with the United Auto Staff, the American Federation of Lecturers, United Meals and Business Staff Worldwide and the United Steelworkers. Leisure unions resembling Actors’ Fairness Affiliation, the Writers Guild of America West and the American Federation of Musicians have adopted swimsuit. Trump, in the meantime, has gained the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police and different police teams.

On Wednesday afternoon, not lengthy after the worldwide union’s announcement, two joint councils representing a whole lot of 1000’s of union members in California, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam and the California Public Affairs Council introduced their endorsement of Harris. The group joined a handful of Teamsters Locals which have beforehand responded by breaking away from the worldwide’s stance and endorsing Harris.

One of many joint councils concerned, No. 42, contains Native 399, which represents drivers, casting administrators, location professionals and different employees within the leisure business. Native 399 principal officer Lindsay Dougherty sits on Joint Council 42’s government board as a trustee.

“The 250,000 Teamsters who work across California are fundamental to the American economy, not only producing and transporting goods, but also providing essential services throughout the private and public sectors,” Joint Council 42 president Chris Griswold said. “They deserve an administration that will put working people first.”