Vice President Kamala Harris met with the Teamsters on Monday as union leaders deliberated whether to endorse the Democratic candidate for the 2024 election.
What Happened: The closed-door meeting between Harris and union leaders was reportedly tense. Teamsters asked Harris about a rail strike in 2022 and if the White House could have further assisted in a dispute with UPS.
While Harris hopes to win the endorsement, Teamsters board member John Palmer said the vice president promised to treat the union fairly going forward.
"I'm confident I'm going to win this," Palmer recalled Harris saying. "I want your endorsement, but if I don't get it, I will treat you exactly as if I had gotten your endorsement."
Harris also spoke out on her opponent, Republican Ex-President Donald Trump, saying that he had added anti-union members to the National Labor Relations Board during his time in the White House.
Trump’s X Spaces event with Elon Musk, where the two discussed firing workers for going on strike, was also a key talking point.
Did You Know?
- Congress Is Making Huge Investments. Get Tips On What They Bought And Sold Ahead Of The 2024 Election With Our Easy-to-Use Tool
Why It's Important: An endorsement from the Teamsters doesn't mean all its 1.3 million members have to vote for Harris. But it does serve as a key item that shows she has key support from workers across several industries.
"We represent everybody from airline pilots and zookeepers,” Teamsters President Sean O'Brien told reporters Monday, according to Politico. “We don't just represent registered Democrats, we represent Republicans and Independents, and so we have to take (that) into consideration.”
The meeting also comes with less than two months until Election Day.
O'Brien, who became the first Teamsters President to speak at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, has called President Joe Biden “great for unions.” They endorsed Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
The United Auto Workers union endorses Harris,
Failure to endorse Harris wouldn’t be a good look considering the union often backs Democratic candidates. A decision to not back a candidate could also lead to calls for leadership changes. The Teamsters have endorsed a presidential candidate in each election since 1996.
What’s Next: An endorsement could come as early as Wednesday. The Teamsters are in the process of polling members ahead of an executive board meeting to make a decision.
The poll results will be made publicly available, O’Brien said. Until then, the union is looking at “any and all options,” he said.
Some union members have been upset that it has taken so long to announce an endorsement. But O'Brien argues that it's necessary to make sure the union makes the "right decisions."
Read Next:
Photo courtesy: Teamsters
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
