On Wednesday, September 18th, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) in the United States announced that they have decided not to support any candidate in the 2024 US presidential election.
With 1.3 million members, the union conducted an internal poll revealing that most members favor former Republican President Donald Trump over Democratic Vice President Harris.
The IBT Executive Committee made the unprecedented decision not to endorse any candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
This marks the first time in nearly 30 years that the Teamsters union will refrain from supporting a candidate in the presidential race, dealing a blow to the Democratic Party which has long enjoyed their support.
Just two days ago, union leaders and members met privately with Vice President Harris to hear her reasons for seeking their endorsement.
In a statement released on Wednesday, IBT President Sean O’Brien stated, “Unfortunately, neither of the two major candidates made serious commitments to our union to ensure that worker interests are always put before corporate interests.”
O’Brien further added that both Trump and Harris failed to commit to not interfering in crucial union movements or the core truck driver industry, and to respect their members’ right to strike.
O’Brien was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in July, becoming the first labor leader to address the GOP convention, causing a stir in Democratic circles.
According to a nationwide electronic poll conducted by the union from July 24th to September 15th, 59.6% of members supported Trump while 34% favored Harris.
Following the presidential debate on September 10th, an independent survey by Lake Research Partners conducted until September 15th showed that 58% of Teamsters members supported Trump, with Harris earning 31% support.
The Teamsters’ decision holds significant influence in several battleground states for the November 5th election, notably in Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, all with substantial union membership.
As one of the largest unions in the US representing truck drivers and various other workers including airline pilots and zookeepers, the Teamsters have backed Biden in 2020, Clinton in 2016, and Obama in 2008 and 2012. They have supported Republican candidates in some previous elections.
Despite IBT’s overall stance, some local chapters within the union still maintain their support for Harris.
While most major unions endorse Harris, such as the UAW and the AFL-CIO, representing 60 unions and 12.5 million workers, many Teamsters locals remain divided in their support for Harris.