Teamsters’ black caucus gives support to Harris before leadership

While the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union with over 1.3 million members, is waiting to endorse a presidential candidate until after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention, members of its National Black Caucus have just endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as president. 

The caucus voted to endorse Harris on Tuesday during a conference in Las Vegas, which created friction with the larger organization that hasn’t had the chance to complete its vetting of both Harris and former president Donald Trump.

The caucus, led by Chairman James Curbeam, released a statement to Politico saying Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN), “records reflect a deep dedication to advancing labor rights and supporting working-class Americans.”

While endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket, Curbeam commented on how Trump’s track record in his business dealings and political career does not serve the best interests of the caucus.  

“When people show you who they are, believe them, and Trump showed us for 40 years who he really is: someone who is not for us,” Curbeam said. “Endorsing a candidate with his history would be a betrayal of the values that we have fought to uphold.”

The Harris-Walz ticket has already amassed a large number of endorsements from major labor unions, including the United Automobile Workers union and the hospitality workers’ union UNITE HERE.

But Teamsters planned to hold off from giving an endorsement until after both parties held their national conventions, and the union was given a chance to conduct interviews with both candidates. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said the union has yet to conduct a sit-down interview with Harris.

O’Brien was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in July, but with less than a week until the DNC, he has yet to receive an invite from Democrats. 

However, O’Brien was critical of Trump for saying during his interview with X owner Elon Musk that he was in favor of firing striking employees. 

“Firing workers for organizing, striking, and exercising their rights as Americans is economic terrorism,” O’Brien said.