Influential union backed each Democratic presidential candidate since 2000, however declines to make endorsement this yr.
The Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of many largest labour unions in the US, has stated that it’ll not endorse any candidate within the upcoming US presidential election.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the influential union of about 1.3 million members stated that it might not endorse both Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican former President Donald Trump.
“The Teamsters thank all candidates for assembly with members face-to-face throughout our unprecedented roundtables,” Teamsters Basic President Sean O’Brien stated within the assertion.
“Sadly, neither main candidate was capable of make severe commitments to our union to make sure the pursuits of working individuals are all the time put earlier than Massive Enterprise.”
The transfer breaks with a long time of precedent: The Teamsters have endorsed the Democratic candidate in each election since 2000, and the union has not declined to endorse a candidate since 1996.
It additionally comes as each the Democratic and Republican events have been courting organised labour forward of the November 5 election, which is anticipated to be hard-fought between Trump and Harris.
TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA
“For the previous yr, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct probably the most inclusive, democratic, and clear Presidential endorsement course of within the historical past of our 121-year-old group—and at present we’re delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
The Teamsters stated that polling of its members confirmed a desire for Trump over Harris by a margin of greater than 25 %, however no “common help” for both candidate.
The Trump marketing campaign stated that the polling reveals that the “overwhelming majority” of the group’s members supported the ex-president and wished to see him return to the White Home.
In an announcement to US media shops, a spokesperson for Harris stated the Democrat has gained the help of Teamsters locals throughout the US, together with different labour unions.
“Whereas Donald Trump says hanging employees ought to be fired, Vice President Harris has actually walked the picket line and stood robust with organized labor for her total profession,” Lauren Hitt stated.
“The Vice President’s robust union file is why Teamsters locals throughout the nation have already endorsed her — alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor.”
Labour unions have been a conventional constituency of the Democratic Occasion within the US, with Republican overtures met primarily with scepticism because the occasion has traditionally taken a harsher line on employees’ rights.
Most massive US labour unions, such because the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), have voiced their help for Harris forward of the upcoming election.
O’Brien — the Teamsters president — has been an exception to that development, talking on the Republican Nationwide Conference in July.
That call elicited a combined response from US labour specialists, who have been divided over whether or not it was a wise transfer taking a pro-labour message to a big viewers or a nasty one, given conventional GOP hostility to the motion.
The Teamsters additionally tried to get a talking slot on the Democratic Nationwide Conference in August, however stated that they weren’t granted one.
Whereas the Teamsters have endorsed Democrats over the previous 20 years, the group has at occasions additionally supported Republican presidential candidates, together with Ronald Reagan in 1984.
