Teamsters President Sean O'Brien told The Hill that the union did not endorse Vice President Harris or former President Trump because “neither candidate addressed the core issues that need to be addressed on behalf of our members.”
It was the third time since 1960 that the union has not endorsed a presidential candidate, and it came after a closely watched process that included roundtable discussions with both candidates, widespread membership voting and the first time a Teamsters president appeared on the Republican National Convention stage.
“We appreciate that they came to meet with our members, but there was a lot of evasive response to a lot of the questions,” O'Brien said.
Key issues for the Teamsters include passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen workers' ability to form unions and negotiate with employers, and opposing a nation's right to work.
Harris had voiced her support for the PRO Act during the campaign, but O'Brien said she has not explained how she would do that.
“We want direct dialogue. We want answers. We don't want false hopes and dreams disguised with rhetoric,” O'Brien said.
O'Brien has been instrumental in negotiating with Republicans to advance the union's policy priorities, and his speeches at the Republican National Convention and at the union's PAC have sparked speculation that the union may again endorse a Republican presidential candidate. Donated $45,000 Earlier this year, he attended the Republican National Committee for the first time in 20 years.
But when asked what O'Brien would say to the 60 percent of members who want the union to support Trump, union leaders reiterated that they “couldn't get a commitment on our issues.”
“We can offer advice, but at the end of the day, our job is not to tell our members what to do. It's to provide information so they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families,” O'Brien said.
He told reporters on Monday that the party's membership vote would be a “crucial” part of the endorsement process, and poll results released Wednesday showed party members favoring Trump over Harris.
A poll commissioned by the Teamsters and conducted by an independent third party between July 24 and September 15 found that 59.6% of Teamsters members voted in support of Trump, compared with 34% who supported Harris.
A separate poll commissioned by the Teamsters conducted in the week ending Sunday found 58% of Teamsters members voted in support of Trump, compared with 31% who voted in support of Harris.
Notably, a poll conducted before Biden dropped out of the race in July found Teamsters favored Biden over Trump, 44.3 percent to 36.3 percent.
Major labor unions and organizations, including the United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO, National Education Association and Service Employees International Union, endorsed Biden and quickly endorsed Harris after the president withdrew his support.
But O'Brien bristled at the idea that the union should automatically support the Democratic presidential candidate. The Teamsters have consistently backed Democratic candidates in recent election cycles, including Biden in 2020, but have also supported Republican candidates including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
