The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced Wednesday that it would not endorse a presidential candidate.
In what can only be considered a slight against Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, the 1.3 million strong union has endorsed every Democratic presidential candidate since 1992. The union has not endorsed a Republican candidate since 1988.
Trump has consistently polled strongly with Teamsters’ members. An online survey showed Trump favored by 59.6% to 34% for Harris, while a phone survey found Trump favored by 58% to 31% for Harris. A prior straw poll, when President Joe Biden was still the Democratic nominee, had Biden ahead of Trump 44.3% to 36.3%.
TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
Commenting on the union’s decision not to endorse a candidate, Trump said, “They’re not going to endorse the Democrats. That’s a big thing.” Trump went on to explain that it was “a great honor” to receive 60% support from the union’s members, noting that he has had a lot of Teamsters’ members work for him in the construction of buildings that he has built. Trump said that the Teamsters “carry a lot of weight,” and he thinks the decision will “make a difference” in the election. He said that he considered the lack of an endorsement for either candidate an honor since the union normally endorses the Democratic nominee.
Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, said in a statement that “the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear — they want President Trump back in the White House! These hardworking men and women are the backbone of America and President Trump will strongly stand up for them when he’s back in the White House.”
The Harris campaign responded to the announcement, saying, “While Donald Trump says striking workers should be fired, Vice President Harris has literally walked the picket line and stood strong with organized labor for her entire career. Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her – alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor.”
The Teamsters are the only union among the nation’s top 10 labor unions not to endorse Harris.
The Hill reports on the Teamsters’ decision not to endorse a presidential candidate. Here’s the start of the story:
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien told The Hill that the union did not endorse Vice President Harris or former President Trump “because both candidates didn’t commit on the core issues that we need to get accomplished on behalf of our members.”
This is only the third time the union hasn’t endorsed a presidential candidate since 1960, and comes after a closely-watched process that involved roundtables with both candidates, extensive member polling and the first appearance by a Teamsters president on the Republican National Convention stage.
“We’re grateful that they came in to see our members, but there was a lot of dancing around a lot of these questions,” O’Brien said.
Issues of importance to the Teamsters include the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would bolster the ability of workers to form a union and negotiate with their employers, and opposing the national right to work.
While Harris has voiced her support for the PRO Act on the campaign trail, O’Brien said, “she won’t explain how she’s gonna get it done.”
