After the main Teamsters union declined to endorse either candidate in the 2024 presidential election, local units decided to make their voices heard.
Nearly 24 local Teamsters unions and joint councils, representing about 1 million Teamster-affiliated workers, have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, the campaign announced. Teamsters unions in battleground states like Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have endorsed the Democrat campaign.
This is the first time since 1996 that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters did not endorse a candidate for president. Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention but was denied a speaking slot at the Democrat convention.
Nearly 60% of Teamsters members who participated in an electronic survey support former President Donald Trump compared to 34% for Harris. A survey conducted over the phone found Trump leading 58% to 31%, the union said.
"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," 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."
Harris met with the Teamsters two days before their endorsement announcement.
Trump said he was "honored" to have the overwhelming support of Teamsters members, telling Newsmax on Thursday that this "could be a beginning" of the labor union supporting Republican candidates.
Harris has received endorsements from unions like the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, and the Culinary Workers Union. Those unions typically endorse Democrats.
Kevin Moore, the president of the Michigan Teamsters, told NBC News the decision to endorse Harris was unanimous among its board.
"The Joint Council and Teamsters of Michigan know it's too important for us to do a neutral endorsement," Moore said. "We're going to do a full force endorsement for Kamala Harris and [Democrat vice presidential nominee] Tim Walz ... our members are telling us that."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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