The Teamsters International union plans to host a roundtable discussion between Vice President Harris and union members and leaders on September 16.
“We appreciate Vice President Harris taking the time to meet face-to-face with the rank-and-file Teamsters membership. Our members are the backbone of our country, serving in all 50 states and representing all political backgrounds. We look forward to discussing the direction of the country and the issues that matter to working people,” Teamsters Chairman Sean O'Brien said in a statement first published by The Hill.
This year, the Teamsters hosted roundtable discussions with former President Trump, President Biden and third-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West.
Last month, the Harris campaign accepted an invitation from the labor union to participate in a roundtable discussion ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
The Teamsters have not yet endorsed Harris for president, even though other unions and labor groups, including the United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO and the Teamsters National Black Congressional Caucus, have endorsed her since she launched her campaign in mid-July.
A union leader told CBS' “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the union has not yet endorsed Harris because it has not yet met with her, saying, “We're not going to hire someone who doesn't give us an interview.”
While the Teamsters supported Biden in the 2020 election and have historically supported Democratic candidates, O'Brien has made it clear that the union's support is not guaranteed.
In a speech at the Republican National Convention in July, O'Brien pushed back against the idea that unions should automatically support Democrats, saying “we have a duty to do our due diligence” and “we shouldn't automatically support one side or the other.”
But O'Brien later criticized the former president for suggesting in an interview with Elon Musk that striking workers should be fired, calling the suggestion “Economic terrorism.”
A Fox News poll released last month showed Harris leading Trump by 10 points among union households. She also A vocal supporter He is campaigning for one of his most important labor policy priorities, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen workers' ability to unionize and negotiate with employers.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.
