Teamsters President still holding out endorsement – Washington Examiner
The Teamsters, a significant labor union representing 1.3 million truckers and UPS drivers, has yet to endorse a presidential candidate, with President Sean O’Brien indicating they are awaiting a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris. In a CBS interview, O’Brien noted that the union’s membership is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, emphasizing the necessity to serve all members equitably. This union is notably the only major non-law enforcement union that has not endorsed Harris. O’Brien previously gained attention for speaking at the Republican National Convention and subsequently felt snubbed when he was not invited to speak at the Democratic convention. He expressed the importance of meeting with Harris to discuss Teamster-specific and broader labor issues before making an endorsement. Although there might be lingering tensions due to O’Brien’s RNC involvement and his lack of DNC participation, he affirmed that the Teamsters traditionally lean Democratic, despite having supported Republican candidates in the past.
Teamsters president still holding out endorsement, wants Harris meeting
The Teamsters still haven’t endorsed a presidential candidate, and are waiting on a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris before doing so.
That was the message that Teamsters president Sean O’Brien gave in a Sunday morning interview on CBS, in which he said his union’s membership is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats.
“We have to serve all of our membership equally,” he said.
The 1.3 million-member group represents truckers and UPS drivers, and is the only large, non-law enforcement union yet to endorse Harris. O’Brien made waves in July by speaking at the Republican National Convention, and was subsequently ghosted when he asked to speak at the Democratic convention in August.
He’s now waiting on a meeting with Harris before making any endorsement.
“We want the opportunity to sit down with Vice President Harris,” O’Brien said. “I said to someone the other day, ‘You don’t hire someone unless you give them an interview.’ This is our opportunity to ask her about Teamsters-specific issues and also labor issues. Until we have that meeting, we will wait to make that determination.”
The Associated Press reported on Aug. 17 that a meeting was scheduled, but O’Brien says it has yet to take place.
There may be lingering animosity on both sides, from O’Brien because he was rejected from speaking at the DNC, and from Harris because O’Brien spoke at the RNC.
The Teamsters, a union of largely male, non-college-educated workers, has historically been more open to Republicans than some of its counterparts. It endorsed Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush and sat out the 1996 election before backing Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in more recent years.
Despite that history, O’Brien said, “We’re a very, very Democratic union.” He also reiterated his criticism of Trump over anti-strike comments Trump made to Elon Musk, which O’Brien has described as “economic terrorism.”
Democrats never told O’Brien why he wasn’t able to speak on the DNC stage, but he said the Republicans responded right away and made no attempts to alter his speech.
“I was hopeful that the Democrats would do the same, but they didn’t,” O’Brien said. “I’m not upset about it, but I can tell you this — my rank-and-file members who have been lifelong Democrats are not happy about it.”
Republicans historically are seen as friendly to big business but have made overtures toward labor unions in recent years. Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), joined a picket line last year and has taken a critical approach to corporate power.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Harris campaign seeking comment.
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