The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that they will not be endorsing either presidential candidate.
The announcement is the first time in 30 years that the union declined to make an endorsement.
“After reviewing six months of nationwide member polling and wrapping up nearly a year of rank-and-file roundtable interviews with all major candidates for the presidency, the union was left with few commitments on top Teamsters issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and found no definitive support among members for either party’s nominee,” a press release says.
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement, “The Teamsters thank all candidates for meeting with members face-to-face during our unprecedented roundtables. Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business. We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries—and to honor our members’ right to strike—but were unable to secure those pledges.”
He said that the Teamsters’ mission is to be “honest and upfront, to be inclusive and, above all, to be transparent with our membership.”
“As the strongest and most democratic labor union in America, it was vital for our members to drive this endorsement process. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents proudly call our union home, and we have a duty to represent and respect every one of them,” O’Brien added. “We strongly encourage all our members to vote in the upcoming election, and to remain engaged in the political process. But this year, no candidate for President has earned the endorsement of the Teamsters’ International Union.”
According to Teamsters polling data, Donald Trump received the support of 59.6% of the union’s members following the Republican National Convention.
Kamala Harris was supported by 34% of the union’s members.
