Teamsters Opts To Not Endorse Either Harris Or Trump For Upcoming Presidential Elections, Citing Failure To Secure Pledges Of Non-Interference In Union Campaigns

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters will not endorse any candidate for U.S. President, the union said on Wednesday.

What Happened: The General Executive Board of the 1.3 million member union elected to not endorse any candidate after receiving “few commitments” on union issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, the union said.

“We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries—and to honor our members' right to strike—but were unable to secure those pledges," Teamsters General President Sean M O'Brien said.

The union also did not find definitive support for either the Democratic party’s presidential nominee or the Republican party’s nominee among union members, it said.

However, results of an electronic poll conducted among union members between July and September showed that a majority of voting members preferred Trump for a possible Teamsters endorsement over Harris by 59.6% to 34%. The union members include freight drivers, warehouse workers, and sanitation workers, among others.

Why It Matters: The Teamsters Union had endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020. It also endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. However, before 2000, it did endorse Republican candidates including Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.

Other major unions have, however, endorsed Harris. United Auto Workers (UAW) union endorsed Harris in July and so did the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

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Photo courtesy: Teamsters