The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the most significant labor unions in America, has made an unprecedented decision by withholding its endorsement for the US presidential election for the first time since 1996. With a membership exceeding 1.3 million across the US and Canada, the union cited a lack of substantial pledges on key Teamster issues from both Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Despite two recent polls showing a strong inclination towards Trump among its members, the union’s leadership reported a lack of definitive support for either candidate.
This development is a considerable setback for Harris’s campaign, which has been vigorously working to capture the working-class vote with less than 50 days remaining before Election Day. An endorsement from the Teamsters could have galvanized thousands of union members residing in pivotal battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In the wake of this announcement, several regional Teamsters councils, representing over half a million members across states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and California, have opted to support Harris.
The Harris campaign has highlighted its backing from a substantial portion of organized labor, pointing out that many local Teamsters chapters have rallied behind her candidacy. Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt emphasized Harris’s longstanding commitment to labor causes, contrasting it with Trump’s controversial remarks suggesting that striking workers should be terminated. Hitt praised Harris’s track record of supporting organized labor throughout her career.
The rank-and-file members of the Teamsters, encompassing a diverse array of professions including freight drivers, warehouse staff, and airline pilots, have traditionally exhibited a wide range of political views. Since assuming leadership in 2022, General President Sean O’Brien has made concerted efforts to build connections with Republicans, including reaching out to populist figures such as Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and JD Vance of Ohio, who now serves as Trump’s running mate. O’Brien’s engagement with Trump included a private meeting at Mar-a-Lago in January, shortly before Trump participated in a roundtable discussion with the union’s board in Washington, D.C. Trump subsequently expressed confidence in securing the union’s endorsement.
The Teamsters also engaged with President Joe Biden before he formally relinquished his position as the Democratic nominee, as well as with third-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West. However, the union’s decision to make a financial contribution to both major parties—a $45,000 donation to each of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions—caused alarm among Democrats. O’Brien also became the first Teamsters leader to address the Republican National Convention, where he praised Trump as “one tough SOB” but stopped short of endorsing him. Following his RNC speech, O’Brien’s omission from the Democrats’ convention was noted, with rank-and-file members representing the union instead.
Internal discontent has surfaced within the Teamsters, particularly from members frustrated with O’Brien’s outreach to right-wing figures. Recently, the Teamsters National Black Caucus and several local unions diverged from national leadership by endorsing Harris independently and urging their peers to support her.
In a lengthy and reportedly tense meeting with the Teamsters board, Harris assured the members of her commitment regardless of the endorsement outcome. Following this, O’Brien remarked that Harris’s responses were not markedly different from those of Biden, who has frequently promoted himself as the most pro-labor president in history. Biden’s administration has been notable for its efforts to support labor, including historic actions such as walking a picket line with United Auto Workers and bolstering the Teamsters’ pension fund with $36 billion to prevent cuts to retirees’ benefits.
Despite acknowledging Biden’s positive impact on unions, the Teamsters had not initially planned to endorse his re-election bid before his withdrawal from the race in July. An earlier version of this story has been corrected to reflect that the Teamsters are the fourth largest labor union in the United States, not the largest.
