International Union points to strong political divisions and few commitments from candidates

(WASHINGTON) — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Executive Board decided Wednesday not to endorse any candidate for U.S. president.

After studying six months of national polling and completing nearly a year of roundtable discussions with all the major presidential candidates, the union was able to secure few commitments on key Teamster issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris. Moreover, the union found no definitive support among members for either party’s nomination.

In data released earlier in the day, President Joe Biden won the support of Teamsters who voted in straw polls with local unions between April and July before he withdrew from the race. But in independent electronic and telephone polls conducted from July through September, a majority of eligible voters twice chose Trump over Harris for a potential Teamsters endorsement.

A wide-ranging poll of the union’s membership found that there was no majority support for Vice President Harris and no overall support among members for President Trump.

“The Teamsters thank all of the candidates for meeting with members during our unprecedented roundtable discussions. Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make any meaningful commitments to our union to ensure that the interests of working people are always put before big business. We asked both Trump and Harris for commitments not to interfere with critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries, and to respect our members’ right to strike, but we were unable to secure those commitments,” said Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien.

“Our mission as union representatives is clear: to be honest, forthright, inclusive, and, above all, transparent with our members. As the strongest and most democratic union in America, it was vital that our members drive this endorsement process. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents proudly call our union home, and we have a duty to represent and respect each and every one of them. We strongly encourage all of our members to vote in the upcoming elections and stay engaged in the political process. But this year, no presidential candidate earned the Teamsters’ International Union’s endorsement.”

During the Teamsters Rank-and-File Presidential Roundtables, the union shared feedback from members in the railroad and airline industries who work under the Railway Labor Act (RLA) and rely on government intervention that often prevents work stoppages. While 10,000 Teamsters at United Airlines are currently negotiating a new agreement, tens of thousands of railroad teamsters were forced to accept a new contract that Congress implemented in 2022 without member support. In roundtables with Trump in January and Harris this month, neither candidate pledged not to intervene to enforce similar RLA contracts, undermining workers’ bargaining power.

While Harris pledged to sign the PRO Act, a key piece of labor legislation to strengthen union protections, if elected and has criticized dangerous “right to work” laws designed to bust unions, Trump would not commit to vetoing national “right to work” legislation if he returned to the White House.

“‘Right to work’ laws exist solely to kill unions,” said Fred Zuckerman, secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters. “It is a red line for the Teamsters and should be for every union when a candidate for elected office does not oppose such anti-labor legislation. It is too important an issue for the labor movement as a whole to leave to state legislatures.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit Teamster.org. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.