America’s largest labour union, the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters, has declined to concern a US presidential endorsement for the primary time since 1996.
The union, which boasts some 1.3 million members throughout the US and Canada, stated 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 help” for both candidate, although two of its latest polls indicated lopsided help 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 night time.
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 a press release, the Harris marketing campaign touted its help from “the overwhelming majority of organised labour” and famous that many Teamsters locals have gotten behind her candidacy.
“Whereas Donald Trump says hanging employees must 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 stated.
The union’s rank-and-file – a coalition of members that features freight drivers, warehouse employees and airline pilots – has lengthy been thought of politically various.
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 throughout the celebration, similar to US senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and JD Vance of Ohio, who’s now Trump’s operating 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 stated 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 powerful SOB” however declined to endorse him.
He additionally later criticised Trump and prime marketing campaign surrogate and billionaire businessman Elon Musk over feedback through which the 2 mentioned firing employees who threaten to go on strike.
After his determination to talk on the RNC, Mr O’Brien didn’t obtain an invite from Democrats to handle their celebration conference final month.
The celebration as an alternative invited rank-and-file members to signify 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 Instances described the sit-down as “generally tense”, however a Teamsters spokesperson disputed this characterisation when requested by the BBC.
Throughout their assembly, the Instances added, Harris informed 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 an entire lot of distinction” between the solutions she and her predecessor, Biden, had supplied.
Biden has routinely touted himself as “probably the most pro-labour president ever”, pointing to insurance policies which have made it simpler for US employees to organise and which have prioritised union labour for federal authorities tasks.
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 in opposition to the Massive Three US auto firms: 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 experiences prompt 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 carried out 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 stated in a press release that its “in depth member polling confirmed no majority help for Vice President Harris and no common help among the many membership for President Trump”.
The Trump marketing campaign rapidly 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 stated.