America’s largest labour union, the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters, has declined to challenge a US presidential endorsement for the primary time since 1996.
The union, which boasts some 1.3 million members throughout the US and Canada, mentioned it had acquired “few commitments on prime Teamsters points” from both Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Republican nominee Donald Trump.
It additionally claimed that polling of its rank-and-file members discovered “no definitive assist” for both candidate, although two of its latest polls indicated lopsided assist for Trump.
The transfer is a significant blow to the Harris marketing campaign’s efforts to win over working-class voters with lower than 50 days earlier than election evening.
An endorsement had the potential to mobilise hundreds of Teamsters who reside, work and vote within the essential battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
In an announcement, the Harris marketing campaign touted its assist from “the overwhelming majority of organised labour” and famous that many Teamsters locals have gotten behind her candidacy.
“Whereas Donald Trump says hanging staff ought to be fired, Vice President Harris has actually walked the picket line and stood sturdy with organized labor for her complete profession,” marketing campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt mentioned.
The union’s rank-and-file – a coalition of members that features freight drivers, warehouse staff and airline pilots – has lengthy been thought-about politically numerous.
Common President Sean O’Brien has sought to construct inroads with Republicans since he took over management of the manager board in 2022.
He has reached out to extra populist figures inside the get together, reminiscent of US senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and JD Vance of Ohio, who’s now Trump’s working mate.
Mr O’Brien additionally met privately with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago property in January, shortly earlier than the previous president attended a roundtable with the union’s board at its headquarters in Washington DC.
Following that assembly, Trump mentioned he believed he had a “good shot” at receiving the union’s endorsement.
The board additionally met with President Joe Biden earlier than he stepped apart because the Democratic nominee, in addition to unbiased candidates Robert F Kennedy Jr and Cornel West.
However the union alarmed Democrats when it made its first monetary contribution to their opponents in years, donating $45,000 (£34,000) – the utmost allowed contribution – every to each the Democratic and Republican Nationwide Conventions in February.
Mr O’Brien additionally turned the primary Teamsters boss ever to handle the Republican Nationwide Conference (RNC).
Invited to ship a prime-time handle on the occasion in Milwaukee, the union head praised Trump as “one robust SOB” however declined to endorse him.
He additionally later criticised Trump and prime marketing campaign surrogate and billionaire businessman Elon Musk over feedback wherein the 2 mentioned firing staff who threaten to go on strike.
After his choice to talk on the RNC, Mr O’Brien didn’t obtain an invite from Democrats to handle their get together conference final month.
The get together as an alternative invited rank-and-file members to characterize the organisation and to talk from the conference stage.
Some members of the Teamsters have expressed anger with Mr O’Brien over his right-wing outreach.
Final month, the Teamsters Nationwide Black Caucus and 6 union locals defied nationwide management by endorsing Harris on their very own and urging members to get behind her.
On Monday, Harris met with the Teamsters board in a long-delayed roundtable that lasted an hour and a half.
A New York Occasions described the sit-down as “typically tense”, however a Teamsters spokesperson disputed this characterisation when requested by the BBC.
Throughout their assembly, the Occasions added, Harris advised Teamsters leaders: “I’m assured I’m going to win this. I would like your endorsement, but when I don’t get it, I’ll deal with you precisely as if I had gotten your endorsement.”
Chatting with reporters after Harris had made her pitch, Mr O’Brien famous that “there wasn’t a complete lot of distinction” between the solutions she and her predecessor, Biden, had offered.
Biden has routinely touted himself as “essentially the most pro-labour president ever”, pointing to insurance policies which have made it simpler for US staff to organise and which have prioritised union labour for federal authorities initiatives.
Final September, he made historical past as the primary US president to stroll a picket line, when he joined the United Autoworkers in Michigan in a strike towards the Massive Three US auto corporations: Common Motors, Ford and Stellantis.
The Biden administration additionally shored up the Teamsters pension fund to the tune of $36bn, which it says prevented cuts to the retirement incomes of over 600,000 members.
Mr O’Brien and different leaders have additionally acknowledged on a number of events that Biden has been “nice for unions”.
However earlier than he dropped out in July, some stories instructed that the Teamsters didn’t plan to endorse Biden’s bid for re-election.
On Wednesday, forward of its announcement that it will not endorse Harris or Trump, the union launched polling knowledge for its members.
In an digital ballot performed after the RNC, rank-and-file Teamsters voted 59.6% for the union to endorse Trump in comparison with 34% for Harris.
A separate ballot, commissioned up to now week, discovered Teamsters once more backing Trump by a lopsided margin – 58% to 31%.
Regardless of these outcomes, the union mentioned in an announcement that its “intensive member polling confirmed no majority assist for Vice President Harris and no common assist among the many membership for President Trump”.
The Trump marketing campaign shortly lauded the ballot numbers on Wednesday.
“Whereas the Teamsters Govt Board is making no formal endorsement, the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear – they need President Trump again within the White Home,” marketing campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned.
