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 prime Teamsters points from both former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and located no definitive help amongst members for both occasion’s nominee.”

The Teamsters is likely one of the largest unions within the U.S., with 1.3 million members, together with massive numbers of transportation and public works workers.

After the Teamsters basic govt board introduced it could not endorse, a number of joint councils representing most lively and retired Teamsters within the battleground states of Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin got here out in help of Harris.

“As Vice President of essentially the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris labored with the Teamsters and different union staff to go the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over one million retirees thus far,” stated Invoice Carroll, President of Teamsters Joint Council 39, in Wisconsin. “This November we’ll work with tens of millions of union staff 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. Additionally they endorsed Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 and Richard Nixon in 1972. 

Within the announcement of its choice Wednesday, the labor union cited an absence 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 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 staff to avert a strike through the holidays. 

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 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 help. 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 variety of political opinion among the many Teamsters, whereas additionally criticizing her Republican opponent through the dialog.

“The roundtable went very well,” O’Brien stated. “One factor that is vital, 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 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 except you give them an interview.”

The Teamsters govt board met on Wednesday following its assembly with Harris to debate the  endorsement choice. 

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 gained much 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 an announcement, the Trump marketing campaign touted the ballot numbers displaying help, 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 vital group need President Donald Trump again within the White Home.”

In response to the Teamsters’ choice, Harris spokesperson Lauren Hitt touted Harris’ ties to organized labor, declaring that she walked with a United Auto Employees picket line in 2019. Hitt additionally famous Trump’s current feedback throughout an interview with Elon Musk suggesting that placing staff ought to be fired. The United Auto Employees filed federal labor prices towards 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 is going to look out for the Teamsters rank-and-file it doesn’t matter what,” Hitt added.

“I work with lots of Republicans… and I am getting lots of constructive push for Trump,” stated 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 stated. “Our last choice round a potential Presidential endorsement is not going to be made calmly, however you could be certain will probably 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 yr and endorsed Harris. 

James Curbeam, the pinnacle of the Teamsters Nationwide Black Caucus, stated he was not shocked by the board’s choice 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 fitting factor to do,” Curbeam added.

The choice might 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 yr’s Republican Nationwide Conference after delivering one of the crucial 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.

“Right this moment, the Teamsters are right here to say we aren’t beholden to anybody or any occasion,” O’Brien stated through the July speech. “We are going to 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.”