The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to approve Wednesday Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had enough support from the 1.3 million-member union.
“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure that the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement . “We have sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or key Teamsters industries – and to respect our members’ right to strike – but we have been unable to secure these commitments.”
Vice President Harris met Monday with a panel of Teamsters, who have long courted organized labor and made support for the middle class its central policy goal. Trump also met with a panel of Teamsters and even invited O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where the union leader railed against corporate greed.
The Teamsters said Wednesday that internal polling of their members showed Trump with a lead over Harris.
The Teamsters’ choice not to vote came just weeks before the Nov. 5 election, much later than other major unions such as the AFL-CIO and the United Autoworkers who have chosen to support Harris.
