Trump claims victory as Teamsters withhold support from Harris

WASHINGTON (TND) — The powerful Teamsters labor union is not backing any candidates in the 2024 presidential election, the first time the group has not backed a candidate in decades in a potential snag for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.

After endorsing the Democratic presidential nominee for the last 20-plus years, the union’s leadership said in a statement on Wednesday that it would not back either presidential candidate. It comes after the union endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

“Unfortunately neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O’Brien said in a statement.

In polling results of members released by Teamsters, its members backed Trump by a margin of nearly 60% to 34% for Harris, reflecting a shift in working class voters’ politics that has been observed over the last several years and a recalibration of priorities when heading to cast a ballot. Some members, however, have questioned the survey’s methodology.

Some experts who study labor unions were not surprised about the decision not to endorse Harris after O’Brien’s appearance at the Republican National Convention and the shifts in voting habits among the rank-and-file members.

“O'Brien's in an elected position and he has to be concerned about the politics of his union, and it's pretty clear that half or more of his members are Trump supporters,” said Paul Clark, professor of labor and employment relations at Penn State University. “For him to push an endorsement for Harris would tick off a significant part of his membership. I think he was sort of trying to walk a fine line and let his Trump members know that he hears them.”

Trump has tried to lure unions, particularly through their rank-and-file members, into supporting his presidential campaign. He has also tried to gain favor with O’Brien, who has visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and got a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention while the Democratic Party did not extend the same courtesy, though members of several unions were speakers during the Democratic National Convention.

“This should be an eye-opener for 2028,” O’Brien said in an interview Wednesday on Fox News. “If people want the support of the most powerful union in North America, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, start doing some things to support our members.”

Trump was unable to secure an endorsement from the powerful Teamsters union but is considering Harris’ lack of an endorsement a victory. His campaign also touted the results of the member poll showing a majority of union members backing Trump as a victory.

“It’s a great honor. They’re not going to endorse the Democrats. That’s a big thing,” Trump said during a campaign stop in New York City on Wednesday. “Democrats automatically have the Teamsters. They took a vote, and I guess I was at 60% or more, and that’s a great honor.”

Harris and running mate Tim Walz have touted their pro-labor credentials. As vice president, Harris has backed a number of legislative initiatives and executive policies that have strengthened worker protections and legal rights for unions. She also was the tie-breaking vote in the Senate on a bill that bailed out pension plans, including for the Teamsters.

While she has been able to rally support of most of the nation’s largest labor unions, she was unable to turn the good will from the Biden administration into an endorsement from the Teamsters.

Local Teamsters unions have rolled out endorsements of Harris despite the national organization opting against one at all, including in crucial swing states like Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which the Harris campaign touted in a press release. Harris has also received the backing of some of the nation’s largest labor unions like the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the United Auto Workers, which are helping her through get out the vote initiatives.

The decision by local unions to break from the national Teamsters reflects some of the internal divisions playing out within unions as members and leadership have differing priorities come November.

Union workers are also more concentrated in those states, which means that energized local organized labor groups can still make an impact that could tilt the balance of the election.

“That's where the endorsement really becomes helpful. If they can get their members out there, get them activated at the local level — the national endorsement, she'd like to have it — but I think the endorsement of these local and regional groups is really going to mitigate to some degree the damage that not getting that endorsement did,” Clark said.