Editor's note: The article has been updated to reflect the number of times the union did not endorse a candidate in recent election cycles.
This is the first time since 1996 that the International Federation of Trucking Associations has not endorsed a presidential election and only the third time since 1960.
“Neither major candidate has been able to make a serious commitment to our union to always put workers' interests above those of big business,” Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said.
“We asked both Trump and Harris for a commitment to not interfere in vital union efforts and the Teamsters' core industries, and to respect our members' right to strike, but we did not get that commitment,” O'Brien said.
The Teamsters supported President Biden in the 2020 election and have consistently supported Democratic presidential candidates in recent election cycles.
It is notable that the union took significantly longer to announce its decision to support Biden than other unions and labor groups, such as the United Auto Workers, the National Education Association, the Service Employees International Union, and the AFL-CIO, which endorsed Biden (then Vice President Harris), who withdrew from the presidential election in July.
The Teamsters have supported Republican presidential candidates including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and O'Brien's close ties to former President Trump and the Republican Party have sparked speculation the union may again break away from the group.
O'Brien has worked to build relationships with Republicans such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) in the union's efforts to strengthen workers' ability to unionize and negotiate and advance policy priorities such as the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which opposes state right-to-work legislation.
The union's PAC made its first donation to the Republican National Committee since 2006.Donated $45,000The money was donated to the committee's convention fund about a week before Trump spoke at a Teamsters roundtable in late January.Federal Election Commission data.
The union also hosted a roundtable discussion with Ms. Harris, Mr. Biden and third-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West as part of the nomination process.
Harris supported the PRO Act during her campaign, and O'Brien told reporters Monday that he didn't see “a lot of difference” between Harris' roundtable and Biden's, with labor leaders saying Biden's roundtable was “great for labor unions.”
Members of the Teamsters' local and legislative caucuses, including the National Black Caucus of the International Teamsters fraternal union, have also endorsed Harris.
But O'Brien also said the opinion of party members would be a “crucial” part of the endorsement process, with recent polls showing party members clearly backing Trump for president.
Polling conducted between April 9 and July 3 showed 44.3% of union members backing Biden and 36.3% backing Trump, but polling after the Republican and Democratic conventions found Teamsters members favoring Trump over Harris.
A poll conducted by an independent third party on behalf of the union 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 the week ending September 15, found that 58% of Teamsters members voted in support of Trump, compared with 31% who voted in support of Harris.
The lack of endorsement is a major blow to President Trump, who invited O'Brien to become the first leader in the Teamsters union's 121-year history to speak at the Republican National Convention in July.
The move drew backlash from labor leaders and anti-union activists, but it gave him a platform to take on corporate bosses, anti-union elites and the Washington status quo.
“If people on both ends of the aisle on both sides of the aisle think I shouldn't be on this stage, then the Teamsters are doing the right thing,” O'Brien said.
“At the end of the day, the Teamsters aren't interested in whether you have a D, R or I next to your name. All we want to know is what you're doing to help the American worker.”
But a few weeks later, O'Brien slammed Trump after the former president suggested striking workers would be fired during an interview with Elon Musk.
“I mean, I look at what you guys are doing,” Trump told Musk. “You guys come into a company and say, 'Do you want to quit?' They start a strike. I won't say the names of the companies, but they start a strike. And you say, 'All right, you're all gone. You're all gone. So you're all gone.'”
O'Brien called the proposal “Economic terrorism.”
The Trump campaign highlighted the results of an internal poll conducted late Wednesday.
“While the Teamsters Executive Committee has not issued a formal endorsement, the hard-working members of the Teamsters have been vocal in their desire to see President Trump return to the White House. These hard-working men and women are the backbone of America, and President Trump will vigorously defend them when he returns to the White House,” said Caroline Leavitt, Trump's national spokesperson.
A recent Gallup poll found that the Republican Party has struggled to win over broader labor union leadership, and Americans are less likely to see the Republican Party as best serving the interests of union members.
According toGallup Poll62% of Americans surveyed believe Democrats serve union members the best, compared to 27% who said the same about Republicans.
“The union voting bloc is especially important in battleground states Pennsylvania, Nevada and Michigan, where the share of union members is higher than the national average,” Gallup noted in its analysis.
But labor issues aren't the only concerns union members have in the election, and a large portion of union members and Teamsters may still vote for Trump.
2020 Election Exit Polls RevealedAbout 40 percent of votersFifty-six percent of union households voted for Trump compared with 56% who voted for Biden.
Harris is10-point leadA Fox News poll released last month found that Trump's approval rating was higher among union households.
While O'Brien said the presidential candidate does not have the endorsement of the Teamsters International union, the union said:[s] We urge our members to vote in the next election and stay engaged in the political process.”
“Democrats, Republicans and independents proudly call our union home, and we have a duty to represent and respect them all,” O'Brien said.
Updated 4:15 p.m.
