Teamsters with 1.3 Million Members
"Neither Candidate Promised to Guarantee Strike Rights"
The American transportation union 'Teamsters' (IBT·International Brotherhood of Teamsters), which represents about 1.3 million members, has declared that it will not support any candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election this November. Although the Teamsters have consistently supported Democratic candidates for over 30 years, internal divisions over the final endorsement in this election have led to this decision. This is expected to be a blow to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is losing a traditional Democratic stronghold.
On the 18th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that the Teamsters executive committee held a meeting at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., where they made this decision. Sean O'Brien, Teamsters president, stated in a press release that "neither of the two major candidates made promises to prioritize workers' interests over those of big corporations," adding, "We asked Trump and Harris for commitments to not interfere with union campaigns or operations and to respect the right to strike, but we did not secure these assurances."
Since declaring neutrality in the 1996 U.S. presidential election, the Teamsters have consistently supported Democratic candidates. However, this time, there were significant disagreements among members regarding the candidates. According to an internal poll released by the Teamsters on the day, union members supported President Joe Biden (44%) over former President Donald Trump (36%) before Vice President Harris entered the race. However, in two subsequent polls conducted after President Biden's withdrawal, former President Trump led Vice President Harris by wide margins of 60% to 34% and 58% to 31%, respectively.
At a rally in New York on the same day, former President Trump said, "The Teamsters have great influence," and added, "They have always automatically supported the Democrats, but this year they said they would not, which is a great honor for me." Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, emphasized, "Thanks to Harris's history of working for unions, Teamsters chapters nationwide already support her," and stated, "Harris will take care of union members no matter what."
The Teamsters' decision is seen as a setback for Vice President Harris. The Rust Belt states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, which will determine the outcome of this election, are battleground states where worker support is crucial. Democratic political strategist Steve Rosenthal said, "This election will be decided by a small margin of votes in the 'Blue Wall' (Democratic stronghold) areas," and added, "The union's neutrality declaration will have a significant impact on the tight race."
According to the NYT, in the Teamsters board vote that day, 14 members voted for neutrality, 3 supported Vice President Harris, and none supported former President Trump. Additionally, the Teamsters' Black Caucus and about 20 Teamsters chapters expressed support for Vice President Harris. James Kerbim, president of the Teamsters Black Caucus, said in an interview, "We are very disappointed that our leadership decided not to oppose an anti-union candidate," and claimed that the poll released that day was conducted using unscientific methods.
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