Teamsters Basic President Sean O’Brien informed The Hill that the union did not endorse Vice President Harris or former President Trump “as a result of each candidates did not commit on the core points that we have to get achieved on behalf of our members.”
That is solely the third time the union hasn’t endorsed a presidential candidate since 1960, and comes after a closely-watched course of that concerned roundtables with each candidates, intensive member polling and the primary look by a Teamsters president on the Republican Nationwide Conference stage.
“We’re grateful that they got here in to see our members, however there was numerous dancing round numerous these questions,” O’Brien stated.
Problems with significance to the Teamsters embody the passage of the Defending the Proper to Set up (PRO) Act, which might bolster the power of staff to type a union and negotiate with their employers, and opposing the nationwide proper to work.
Whereas Harris has voiced her help for the PRO Act on the marketing campaign path, O’Brien stated, “she received’t clarify how she’s gonna get it executed.”
“We wish direct dialogue. We wish solutions. We do not need, , false hopes and desires masqueraded with rhetoric,” O’Brien stated.
O’Brien has labored to make inroads with Republicans to advance his union’s coverage priorities, and fueled hypothesis that the union may as soon as once more endorse a GOP presidential candidate when he spoke on the RNC and after the union’s PAC donated $45,000 to the Republican Nationwide Committee earlier this yr for the primary time in 20 years.
However when requested what O’Brien would say to the 60 p.c of his members who wished the union to endorse Trump, the union chief reiterated that “we could not get commitments on our points.”
“We will advise, however on the finish of the day, our job is to not dictate to our members. It is to provide them info in order that they will make the perfect resolution on behalf of themselves and their households,” O’Brien stated.
He informed reporters Monday that member polling can be a “vital” a part of the endorsement course of, and the outcomes of these polls launched Wednesday present members preferred Trump to Harris.
In a Teamsters-commissioned survey carried out by an unbiased third social gathering between July 24 and Sept. 15, 59.6 p.c of Teamsters members voted to endorse Trump, in comparison with 34 p.c for Harris.
In a separate Teamsters-commissioned ballot throughout the week ending Sunday, 58 p.c of Teamsters members voted to endorse Trump, in comparison with 31 p.c who voted to endorse Harris.
Notably, the polling carried out earlier than President Biden dropped out of the race in July confirmed Teamsters most popular Biden to Trump, 44.3 p.c to 36.3 p.c.
Main labor unions and organizations together with the United Auto Staff, the AFL-CIO, the Nationwide Training Affiliation and the Service Workers Worldwide Union endorsed Biden and had been fast to endorse Harris after the president dropped out.
However O’Brien bristled on the notion that the union ought to mechanically endorse the Democratic presidential candidate. Though the Teamsters has constantly endorsed Democratic candidates in latest election cycles, together with Biden in 2020, the union has endorsed GOP candidates, together with Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
