On Wednesday, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) refused to endorse Donald Trump or Kamala Harris as a Presidential candidate. The IBT claimed that neither candidate had received enough support among its 1.3 million members.
Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement, “Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the workers’ interests are always put before Big Business. We asked Trump and Harris to commit to not interfering in important union campaigns or core Teamsters industries and to respect members’ right to strike. We were not able to secure these promises. ”
The Teamsters’ rejection of the candidates reflected an organization that was torn over issues of policy and identity. The Teamsters’ rejection reflected a labor organization torn by issues of identity and policy.
A spokesperson for the Harris Campaign, Lauren Hitt noted in an email that more than three dozen retired Teamsters spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month in Chicago, and endorsed Harris. Butch Lewis Act was championed in 2021 by both President Joe Biden and Harris, saving their pensions.
Hitt said that “while Donald Trump thinks striking workers should be terminated, Vice President Harris has walked picket lines her entire career and supported organized labor. “Teamsters across the country and the overwhelming majority of organized labor have already endorsed Vice President Harris because of her strong union records.
Teamsters said Wednesday that a poll conducted among their members showed Trump had an advantage over Harris. The Republican campaign immediately took advantage of this fact, sending out an email that stated “The Teamsters Union rank and file support Donald Trump as president.”
Trump said that the Teamsters’ decision not to endorse Trump was “a great honor”.
“It’s a great honor,” he said. “They’re not going to endorse the Democrats. That’s a big thing.”
Harris, who is a long-time supporter of organized labor and the middle class, as central goals in her policies, met with Teamsters Monday. Trump also met with Teamsters in January. He invited O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where he attacked corporate greed.
O’Brien said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday that candidates without an endorsement must support the Teamsters. This should serve as a warning for 2028. If people want to receive the support of the largest union in North America, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, they should begin supporting our members.
Only weeks before the 5 November election, Teamsters made a decision not to endorse Harris. The Teamsters are far behind other large labor unions such as the AFL-CIO or the American Federation of Teachers who have decided to allocate resources to Harris.
Art Wheaton, Cornell University’s Director of Labor Studies, said it wasn’t surprising that O’Brien’s remarks at the Republican National Convention caused a reaction among Teamsters.
Wheaton said that Trump’s praise of Tesla CEO Elon MOTs for firing workers who had allegedly been on strike made it unlikely that Trump would endorse Wheaton.
Marick Master, emeritus professor of business at Wayne State University in Detroit who is interested in labor issues, believes the Teamsters’ lack of support indicates a realignment within the union membership.
According to Masters, for many workers, issues such as gun control, border safety, and abortion are more important than Trump’s hostility toward unions.
The Teamsters expressed their concerns about the candidates in a written statement. The Teamsters began their objections by pointing out that Congress would implement a contract for railroad workers in 2022.
Teamsters asked that both candidates promise not to use the Railway Labor Act to settle contract disputes and avoid a shutdown of national infrastructure. Harris and Trump, however, wanted to keep the option open despite Teamsters’ claims that it would decrease their bargaining strength.
Harris has pledged to sign the PRO Act, which will strengthen union rights. This act is also supported by the Teamsters.
Some unions have a reluctance to endorse either candidate. The United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America endorsed Harris Friday, with a caveat. “How party leaders orchestrated Biden’s removal from the top of the ticket and replaced it with Vice President Kamala Harris was thoroughly undemocratic,” stated the union leadership in a release.
The Teamster’s lack of support is also indicative of apathy toward the Biden-Harris Administration which passed a bill that saved millions in pensions for retirees, including many Teamsters.
The Butch Lewis Act was included in the administration’s pandemic assistance for 2021 to save the underfunded pensions of over 1,000,000 union workers and retirees. It is named after Butch Lewis who, as a Teamsters unionist, spent his final years fighting against massive cuts to the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund.
