After declaring a decision would come on Wednesday, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has announced it will not endorse a presidential candidate for this November's election.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Teamsters Union, which has historically endorsed Democratic candidates, released a statement announcing that the group had not yet endorsed a presidential candidate, though a decision would be made later in the day.
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on that promise to our members,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a statement. “Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions must be at the forefront of everything the Teamsters do."
"Our final decision around a possible Presidential endorsement will not be made lightly, but you can be sure it will be driven directly by our diverse membership," O'Brien added. TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
Along with their statement, Teamsters provided recent straw polls conducted by the union over which presidential candidate the group should support this November. According to a poll conducted prior to President Joe Biden's exit from the 2024 race, the incumbent president polled 8 points ahead of former President Donald Trump, who garnered 36.3% of the poll. Trump was trailed by Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 5.6%, followed by Justice For All Party candidate Dr. Cornell West with 1.7%.
In another poll conducted between July 24 and Sept. 15, Trump dominated Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by just over 25 points. In a third poll conducted in the last week, Trump gained on Harris and secured a commanding 27-point lead over the vice president.
Later Wednesday, Teamsters released another statement announcing the union had declined to endorse any presidential candidate, a result that has not occurred since 1996.
"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," the union wrote. "The union’s extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump."
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024
“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," O’Brien said. "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."
The union reiterated their mission "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," O'Brien continued. "Democrats, Republicans, and Independents proudly call our union home, and we have a duty to represent and respect every one of them. 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.”
Trump commended the Teamsters for their decision.
“It’s a great honor. They’re not going to endorse the Democrats. That’s a big thing,” he said, per AP News.
"Harris met Monday with a panel of Teamsters, having long courted organized labor and made support for the middle class her central policy goal. Trump also met with a panel of Teamsters in January and even invited O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where the union leader railed against corporate greed," the outlet reported.
