The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced Wednesday that it would neither endorse Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election , citing a lack of sufficient support for either candidate within its 1.3 million-member union.
Teamsters President Sean M. O'Brien expressed disappointment in a statement, saying, "Unfortunately, neither major candidate was willing to make serious commitments to our union to ensure that the interests of working people are put ahead of Big Business."
The union had requested both Harris and Trump, asking them to refrain from interfering in key union campaigns and industries and to respect the Teamsters' right to strike. However, O'Brien said, "We were unable to secure those pledges."
Vice President Harris met with a panel of Teamsters earlier this week as part of her long-standing effort to win over organized labour, and her focus on middle-class policies.
Similarly, Trump also engaged with a panel of Teamsters and even invited O'Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where the union president criticized corporate greed.
Despite these efforts, internal polling within the union showed Trump had an advantage over Harris among Teamsters members. The union's decision to withhold an endorsement comes just weeks before the November 5 election, significantly later than other major labour groups like the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers , which have already thrown their support behind Harris.
Teamsters President Sean M. O'Brien expressed disappointment in a statement, saying, "Unfortunately, neither major candidate was willing to make serious commitments to our union to ensure that the interests of working people are put ahead of Big Business."
The union had requested both Harris and Trump, asking them to refrain from interfering in key union campaigns and industries and to respect the Teamsters' right to strike. However, O'Brien said, "We were unable to secure those pledges."
Vice President Harris met with a panel of Teamsters earlier this week as part of her long-standing effort to win over organized labour, and her focus on middle-class policies.
Similarly, Trump also engaged with a panel of Teamsters and even invited O'Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where the union president criticized corporate greed.
Despite these efforts, internal polling within the union showed Trump had an advantage over Harris among Teamsters members. The union's decision to withhold an endorsement comes just weeks before the November 5 election, significantly later than other major labour groups like the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers , which have already thrown their support behind Harris.
