America’s largest union breaks with decades of precedent to sit out presidential election
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union.
“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “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.”
Vice President Harris met Monday with a panel of Teamsters, having long courted organized labor and made support for the middle class her central policy goal. Trump also met with a panel of Teamsters and even invited O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where the union leader railed against corporate greed.
The Teamsters said Wednesday that internal polling of its members showed Trump with an advantage over Harris.
The Teamsters’ choice to not endorse came just weeks ahead of the Nov. 5 election, far later than other large unions such as the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers that have chosen to back Harris.
