OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:03 PM – Wednesday, September 18, 2024
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has announced that they will not endorse a candidate in the presidential election.
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“The Teamsters are America’s largest, most diverse union. In 1903, the Teamsters started as a merger of the two leading team driver associations. These drivers were the backbone of America’s robust economic growth, but they needed to organize to wrest their fair share from greedy corporations. Today, the Union’s task is exactly the same,” the group’s website states.
The last time Teamsters didn’t issue an endorsement was back in 1996.
Sean O’Brien, the Teamsters’ general president argued that “neither candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business.”
Despite the majority of union members supporting former President Donald Trump in a recent poll, the union claimed that the poll did not provide “universal support” upon its membership to justify an official endorsement.
“We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamster industries – and to honor our members’ right to strike – but were unable to secure those pledges,” O’Brian stated.
During the last election cycle, Teamsters endorsed Democrat President Joe Biden.
Prior to dropping out of the race, Teamsters polls showed members supported Biden with 44.3% as opposed to Trump’s 36.3%, however that number has since flipped when Harris entered the race, with a 58% majority of members supporting Trump over the 31% support for Kamala.
O’Brian garnered backlash for his appearances at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July, after being invited by Trump to speak at the event, a first in the union’s 121-year history.
“The Teamsters are doing something correct if the extremes in both parties think I shouldn’t be on this stage,” O’Brien stated.
“At the end of the day, the Teamsters are not interested if you have a D, R, or an I next to your name. We want to know one thing: what are you doing to help American workers?” he continued.
“While the Teamsters Executive Board is making no formal endorsement, the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear– they want President Trump back in the White House! These hard-working men and women are the backbone of America and President Trump will strongly stand up for them when he’s back in the White House,” stated Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary.
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