Sept. 18 (UPI) — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced Wednesday it will not endorse a presidential candidate after internal polling showed most members support former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a statement from the union.
“The Teamsters thank all candidates for meeting with members face-to-face during our unprecedented roundtables. 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 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,” said O’Brien, who spoke in July at the Republican National Convention.
The lack of consensus to support and endorse Harris for president is a blow to the Democratic Party and comes days after Harris met with Teamsters leaders at the union’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. Harris has been endorsed by other major labor organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers and the United Auto Workers.
Despite the Teamsters’ decision not to endorse a candidate for president this election cycle, the union — which represents a large number of workers including freight workers, truck drivers and health care workers — released results from an electronic poll that shows nearly 60% of its members support Trump, while 34% support Harris and another 6.4% back other candidates.
TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization-and today we are delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
Ultimately, the union’s board voted 14 to 3 for no endorsement.
“While the Executive Board of the Teamsters is making no formal endorsement, the vast majority of rank-and-file working men and women in this important organization want President Donald Trump back in the White House,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.
During her interview Monday, Harris said she planned to “win without the Teamsters endorsement but would love to have it.” The Harris campaign has not commented on Wednesday’s decision.
It has been decades since the Teamsters sat-out a presidential election. In all six elections since 1996, the union has endorsed Democratic nominees including Trump opponents Hillary Clinton in 2016 and President Joe Biden in 2020.
