President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, recently gave comments explaining why one of the largest union groups in the country has still not endorsed the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
O’Brien created controversy when he became the first leader of the Teamsters in its 121-year history to speak at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July.
Who are the Teamsters?
The Teamsters is one of the 10 largest worker unions operating in the United States.
Founded in 1903, the union now has over 1.3 million members with 358 local chapters spread out across the United States.
Unions Are for American Workers
All unions are for the average American worker, meaning that whoever the unions endorse will likely support workers rather than create policies that will negatively affect them.
For such a large union to not endorse a presidential nominee, especially one from a party that is supposedly in favor of workers’ rights, suggests that there could be more to this than meets the eye.
Why is the Lack of Endorsement a Big Deal?
It has become typical for Teamsters to endorse a presidential candidate after both major parties have had their conventions, so the fact the Teamsters still haven’t made an endorsement is abnormal.
Also, the Teamsters are the only group of the top 10 largest unions in the United States to still not have given their endorsement this election cycle.
Other Unions Have Endorsed Harris
Teamsters is currently the only union in the top 10 not to endorse Harris. Many unions have endorsed her since she was announced as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Unions such as the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) have endorsed her because she is “leading the most pro-labor administration in history.” This is why many are surprised that Teamsters are yet to endorse Harris.
O’Brien’s Comments
On September 1, during a “Fact the Nation” interview, President O’Brien emphasized that this election cycle is indeed different.
According to O’Brien, unlike most of the other major unions, the Teamsters have an ideological split in its membership, forcing the organization to more carefully consider each candidate before endorsing them.
Interview Demand
O’Brien during his comments made a demand of Harris before she could be put into consideration for the organization’s endorsement.
“I think historically, the teamsters have always endorsed after both respective conventions. This is a little different,” said O’Brien. “This time, under our leadership, we brought every single candidate to the table in front of our rank and file members and our general executive board, and we’re waiting on Vice President Harris to commit to come meet with us.”
Why an Interview?
Even though Teamsters has never required an interview with a presidential candidate before, everything seems to have changed for the union.
They are demanding this interview because “you don’t hire someone unless you give them an interview.” While this might be true in most cases, it isn’t common for unions to interview a presidential candidate before endorsing them.
Other Meetings
The Teamsters have already had sit-down meetings with Harris’ Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump, and current US president Joe Biden earlier this year.
President O’Brien hopes Harris will sit down in an interview to ensure her policy prescriptions align with the goals of the Teamsters organization.
Ideological Split
O’Brien asserted that this sit-down interview with Harris is crucial given the split among Teamsters on political issues and that an endorsement is not warranted until then.
“Half of our members are Republicans, half of our members are Democrats. So we have to serve all of our membership equally,” O’Brien said. “And you know, this is our opportunity to ask her (Harris) about Teamster specific issues and also labor issues. So until we have that meeting, you know, obviously we will wait to make that determination.”
Endorsement Could Swing the Election
While many states typically vote for either one side or the other, some are swing states, meaning that it could take the smallest thing for them to swing either way.
The endorsement from labor unions is one factor that could swing the vote. Whichever candidate Teamsters endorses could influence who its members and people in swing states vote for.
RNC Speech
It is perhaps this ideological split among Teamsters that led to President O’Brien making his controversial appearance at the RNC this year.
O’Brien’s speech emphasized themes of anti-big business, a message that has been resounding in Republican politics under Trump in a way that it hasn’t in the GOP before.
Bipartisan Politics
During the RNC speech, O’Brien declared that the Teamsters do not serve the interests of any one political party exclusively, and expressed a desire for bipartisan politics.
“Today, the Teamsters are here to say we are not beholden to anyone or any party,” O’Brien said during the July speech. “We will create an agenda and work with a bipartisan coalition, ready to accomplish something real for the American worker. And I don’t care about getting criticized.”
Not an Endorsement
Although O’Brien praised Trump as a “tough SOB” during the convention, the Teamsters President asserted that his appearance did not constitute an endorsement of Trump.
“It wasn’t an endorsement for any and all Republicans. It was strictly a message about how important and how valuable we are, and to let the people know that fight us every day that we’re not going away,” O’Brien said.
JD Vance Could Settle the Vote
Teamsters has praised JD Vance’s position on various things, such as an airline manufacturing bill and the idea to introduce some type of independent contractor employment arrangement.
Because of this, those who align with Democratic policies are worried that Vance could cause the union to side with Trump rather than Harris.
Is the DNC Ignoring O’Brien?
There is some worry that the DNC might be ignoring O’Brien. After his speaker slot at the RNC, O’Brien had been hoping for a similar slot at the DNC.
However, he never got a reply from them, which is likely going to further possible tensions between the two and could affect which candidate Teamsters goes on to endorse.
National Black Caucus Teamsters Endorse Harris
Despite its parent union having yet to endorse a presidential candidate, the National Black Caucus of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has shared its endorsement of Harris.
In August, they unanimously endorsed the Harris campaign, with the TNBC praising Harris and Walz for their “unwavering commitment to workers and their families.”
Donald Trump Led to Their Decision
When the TNBC was considering which candidate to endorse, Trump’s career in politics and business was a big factor in their overall decision.
The union believes that Trump has shown them who he really is, and they don’t like it. They believe that if they endorse him, they will betray their values and beliefs, which is why they have shown their support for Harris.
Trump’s Previous Politics
During Trump’s four years as president, people all over the world witnessed his policies and actions, which caused many not to want the same thing to happen again.
The TNBC felt he created a hostile working environment for Black Americans, as well as loosening workplace safety regulations and opposing raising the federal minimum wage.
Harris Has Taken Positive Steps
TNBC said they liked that President Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill. They also enjoyed his steps to reduce the cost of prescription drugs and increase wages.
As for Harris, the TNBC liked that she had pushed to expand the child tax credit, which was done temporarily in 2021. They also liked that she had preserved union members’ pensions. All of these factors have led the TNBC to believe that Harris is the perfect candidate for them.
Joe Biden’s Encouragement to Union Workers
President Joe Biden is another who has publicly supported Harris. He told union workers at a Labor Day rally that they should get out and vote for her in the November presidential election.
Many of these workers strongly believe that Harris is their best chance at having their needs met, which is why many are surprised that Teamsters are yet to endorse her (or any) candidate.
Round Table Discussion
Previously a spokesperson for the Harris campaign voiced agreement with the candidate sitting down with the Teamsters but the discussion has still not taken place.
“VP has received and gladly accepted an invitation by IBT leadership to participate in a candidate roundtable to discuss her record of fighting for Teamsters and their families and to highlight her vision for the future. The campaign looks forward to scheduling the roundtable in the near future,” a campaign spokesperson said.
Teamsters Want the Roundtable To Happen
Many might assume that Teamsters not endorsing Harris means that they have no intention of meeting her. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Teamsters Union released a statement, outlining that they are excited to meet with Harris at a roundtable to determine where their visions align and finally decide which political candidate they will endorse.
Avoiding Interviews
This public statement and pressure from the Teamsters for the VP to interview comes as Harris has been largely avoiding interviews and unscripted conversations.
On Friday, Harris gave the first sitdown media interview of her campaign and has been very limited when answering reporter questions on the campaign trail thus far.
