The Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of many US’s largest and best-known labor unions, has declined to endorse a candidate for president, citing main political divides amongst its membership, in addition to dissatisfaction with every main candidate’s stances on key union priorities.
In a good presidential race the place the overwhelming majority of labor unions have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, the Teamsters’ choice not to take action could possibly be seen as a high-profile rebuke, particularly since Harris is a part of a Democratic administration that has, for essentially the most half, been extremely supportive of labor union rights. Whether or not the choice actively hurts her, nevertheless, stays to be seen.
The Teamsters signify greater than one million staff from many industries, together with UPS drivers and staff in building, healthcare, and sanitation. Their members are positioned all through the USA. However Teamsters have a very robust base within the Midwest and in swing states that could possibly be decisive in November.
Forward of the choice, the Teamsters polled members on their presidential preferences. In a September phone ballot, 58 p.c of Teamsters members supported Republican candidate Donald Trump, and 31 p.c mentioned they’d just like the union to endorse Harris. In straw polls performed at city halls previous to President Joe Biden’s choice to exit the race in July, 44 p.c of members supported Biden, versus 36 p.c for Trump.
Whereas the ballot outcomes counsel a common choice for Trump, numerous Teamsters native unions and subgroups have vocally come out in assist for Harris. The Teamsters Nationwide Black Caucus endorsed Harris in August, not ready for the nationwide group’s choice. Within the wake of Wednesday’s announcement, native unions in battlegrounds like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — amongst others — additionally endorsed Harris.
Now each camps are claiming to have the Teamsters behind them, Trump due to the ballot outcomes, and Harris due to the native endorsements.
Will the Teamsters’ political choice carry weight in November?
The dearth of endorsement could not in the end matter a lot with regards to how Teamsters will vote. The polls and native endorsements to this point have made it clear that almost all Teamsters have a set choice this election cycle, and it’s not clear that an endorsement from the nationwide union would have carried out a lot to vary that.
Peverill Squire, a political science professor on the College of Missouri, advised Vox that the place union endorsement actually issues is on the bottom, campaigning.
“Union endorsements are beneficial as a result of they normally include entry to assets, notably volunteers to knock on doorways and work telephone banks,” Squire mentioned. “Management might be able to persuade some members to vote the way in which they want, however the true worth is in marketing campaign help.”
Apart from the setback of getting fewer volunteers, there’s additionally some chance that the non-endorsement might sway non-union voters sympathetic to labor points.
“There’s the broad symbolism” of the dearth of endorsement, Vanderbilt College professor of sociology and political financial system Larry Isaac advised Vox.
Teamsters nationwide president Sean O’Brien mentioned, “We sought commitments from each Trump and Harris to not intrude in vital union campaigns or core Teamsters industries — and to honor our members’ proper to strike — however had been unable to safe these pledges.” That assertion, together with the bigger selection to not difficulty an endorsement, makes an specific argument that neither candidate would look out for organized labor.
Previous to Wednesday’s announcement, there have been indications that the union may not endorse in any respect, in a break with different main unions — which wasn’t a complete shock on condition that the Teamsters have usually been out of step politically with the remainder of the US labor union motion, Isaac mentioned. The United Auto Employees, the American Federation of Lecturers, the AFL-CIO, and lots of smaller unions throughout industries and throughout the nation have endorsed Harris.
Nonetheless, the Teamsters’ announcement could also be sufficient to affect some voters. People assist unions at increased ranges than they’ve in a long time — and some information suggests voters had been extra more likely to assist candidates they perceived as being pro-union within the 2022 elections.
By way of her connection to Biden, Harris does have an excellent file on labor; Biden stood on the picket line with UAW staff once they had been putting final summer time, and has typically supported the proper to strike and sought to undermine company energy. However the administration additionally pressured Teamsters members again to work below what union management mentioned was a less-than-ideal contract forward of a railroad strike in 2022.
However Harris’s personal insurance policies and values distinct from Biden’s aren’t all that well-known, although she has supported the Defend the Proper to Set up (PRO) Act, which might strengthen protections round staff’ proper to arrange and discount collectively. However Teamsters management was reportedly unimpressed with what they heard throughout a gathering with Harris earlier this week.
Trump, however, appointed labor antagonists to the Nationwide Labor Assessment Board and authorized laws that restricted staff’ proper to arrange and strengthened workplaces’ skill to interrupt up a union throughout his presidency. Somewhat than specializing in pro-labor coverage, Trump has spent the 2024 marketing campaign courting the working class along with his populist message. Nonetheless, Trump too, apparently didn’t impress Teamsters in his roundtable assembly with members.