Teamsters decide not to make 2024 presidential endorsement

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 an announcement, the union stated it had “few commitments on high Teamsters points from both former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and located no definitive assist amongst members for both get together’s nominee.”

The Teamsters is among the largest unions within the U.S., with 1.3 million members, together with giant numbers of transportation and public works staff.

After the Teamsters normal govt board introduced it will not endorse, a number of joint councils representing most energetic and retired Teamsters within the battleground states of Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin got here out in assist of Harris.

“As Vice President of essentially the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris labored with the Teamsters and different union employees to cross the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over 1,000,000 retirees to this point,” stated Invoice Carroll, President of Teamsters Joint Council 39, in Wisconsin. “This November we’ll work with tens of millions of union employees throughout the nation to defeat Donald Trump as soon as once more.”

Though the nationwide Teamsters union has endorsed Democrats since 1996, when it didn’t endorse a candidate, 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. 

Within the announcement of its resolution Wednesday, the labor union cited a scarcity of dedication from each Trump and Harris to “to not intervene in important union campaigns or core Teamsters industries—and to honor our members’ proper to strike.” The union stated 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 employees to avert a strike in the course of the holidays. 

The Teamsters famous that Harris did pledge to signal the PRO Act, which might strengthen the proper to unionize, and Trump wouldn’t decide to vetoing “proper to work” laws in a second time period. 

O’Brien compelled the union’s first-ever roundtable interview course of for the 2024 endorsement on the finish of final yr, inviting all major-party candidates to make their case for the union’s assist. Union management met with former President Donald Trump, as properly President Biden earlier this yr. In July, Harris changed Mr. Biden because the Democratic nominee and met with the Teamsters on Monday.

O’Brien stated the Monday assembly with Harris centered on the identical questions because the earlier roundtables with Trump and Mr. Biden. O’Brien stated 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 range of political opinion among the many Teamsters, whereas additionally criticizing her Republican opponent in the course of the dialog.

“The roundtable went very well,” O’Brien stated. “One factor that is essential, we’ve got the identical roundtable that we have had for all of the presidential candidates which have are available. 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 stated earlier this month on CBS Information’ “Face the Nation” he hadn’t endorsed within the 2024 presidential race but as a result of he had but to satisfy Harris, and “you do not rent somebody until you give them an interview.”

The Teamsters govt 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 much more assist, 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 an announcement, the Trump marketing campaign touted the ballot numbers exhibiting assist, saying that “whereas the Govt Board of the Teamsters is making no formal endorsement, the overwhelming majority of rank-and-file working women and men on this essential 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, declaring that she walked with a United Auto Staff picket line in 2019. Hitt additionally famous Trump’s current feedback throughout an interview with Elon Musk suggesting that putting employees must be fired. The United Auto Staff filed federal labor expenses in opposition to Musk and Trump, accusing them of making an attempt to “intimidate and threaten” employees. 

“Because the Vice President advised 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 a whole lot of Republicans… and I am getting a whole lot of constructive push for Trump,” stated Brett Ohnstad, a Teamsters member and corrections officer in Minnesota. “Nonetheless, we’re not taking a look at who’s going to be the candidate that fills the entire gamut. We’re wanting right here at simply who’s going to assist labor.” 

“Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions have to be on the forefront of every little thing the Teamsters do,” O’Brien stated. “Our last resolution round a potential Presidential endorsement won’t be made calmly, however you may be positive it will likely be pushed instantly by our numerous membership.”

Some factions inside the Teamsters, such because the Teamsters’ Nationwide Black Caucus, broke with O’Brien earlier this yr and endorsed Harris. 

James Curbeam, the top of the Teamsters Nationwide Black Caucus, stated he was not stunned by the board’s resolution however expressed skepticism about how reflective the polling is of the rank-and-file, claiming solely a fraction of the whole Teamsters membership participated within the on-line polling. CBS Information has reached out to the Teamsters for additional particulars on the polling.

“It is a disappointment that our total worldwide [board] did not do it, however locals and joint councils know the proper factor to do,” Curbeam added.

The choice may affect sure battleground states within the Nov. 5 election the place union membership is powerful, together with Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. 

O’Brien made waves at this yr’s Republican Nationwide Conference after delivering some of the anti-big enterprise speeches in current RNC reminiscence and changing into the primary boss within the group’s 121-year historical past to handle the conference. He was not invited to talk on the Democratic Nationwide Committee.

“At present, the Teamsters are right here to say we aren’t beholden to anybody or any get together,” O’Brien stated in the course of 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.”