Teamsters Chairman Sean M. O’Brien delivered a historic speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Monday night at the invitation of former President Donald Trump.
“I’m honored to be the first Teamster to speak at the Republican National Convention in our 121-year history,” O’Brien told the Republican National Convention audience, which included President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), Rep. Byron Donald (R-Fla.) and Tucker Carlson.
“I want to thank President Donald Trump for opening the doors of the Republican National Convention to the Teamsters union and inviting me to speak,” O’Brien said, noting that “heads exploded” from both the right and the left when he was invited to speak at the convention.
“Anti-union groups have called on the president to rescind the invitation. The left has called me a traitor. That’s why it’s so important that I’m here today,” O’Brien said.
President Trump has had the courage to open the door to this Republican National Convention, which is unprecedented. No other candidate in this race would have invited the Teamsters. You can have any opinion you want, but one thing is clear: President Trump is a candidate who is not afraid to let new, loud, and often critical voices be heard. [Emphasis added]
Most significantly, O’Brien praised Trump for his strength following the assassination attempt at a rally in western Pennsylvania.
“Given what happened to him on Saturday, I think we can all agree that whether you like him or hate him, it just proves he’s a very tough guy,” O’Brien said.
“One thing is clear” about Donald Trump, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a speech at the Republican National Convention.
“After what happened to him on Saturday, I think we can all agree that whether you like him or not, he’s proven to be a very tough guy.” pic.twitter.com/pSCfvEbr4a
—CBS News (@CBSNews) July 16, 2024
As for official endorsements, O’Brien Said After his speech, O’Brien said the union was seeking input from its members and was keeping the discussion open until after the Democratic National Convention. Revealed As of now, he has not been invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
In particular, O’Brien accused the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which vehemently opposes President Trump’s economic nationalist policies, of waging a war on American workers.
“We need to properly call the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable the labor unions for big business,” O’Brien said.
The facts are this: individuals have no power against these giant multinational corporations. Only when Americans organize into democratic labor unions can we achieve real improvements in wages, benefits, and working conditions. [Emphasis added]
O’Brien gave the example of United Parcel Service (UPS), the world’s second-largest privately held logistics company, which has had a unionized workforce for more than 100 years.
“More than 350,000 Teamsters keep us going. We work for decent middle-class wages, quality health care and stable pensions,” O’Brien said. “We have work rules that ensure fair and due process for both sides. UPS is the most efficient package delivery company in the world.”
O’Brien called on Republicans to support a series of economic reforms.
“We need meaningful bankruptcy reform,” O’Brien said. “Today, corporate vultures buy companies like Yellow Freight, drive them into bankruptcy, and then try to make a killing on the wreckage while the courts leave workers as third-tier creditors begging for pittance.”
“Labor laws must be changed. Americans vote for unions but can never get a union contract. Corporations fire workers who try to join a union and hide behind ineffective laws that are supposed to protect workers but are rigged to benefit corporations,” O’Brien continued. “This is economic terrorism. Individuals cannot withstand the attack…There are no consequences for corporations, only for workers.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter. here.
