Teamsters Won’t Endorse a Candidate, So Local Unions Back Harris

Several joint councils in battleground states have pledged their support for Vice President Kamala Harris

After the International Brotherhood of Teamsters broke with tradition and announced that it would not endorse a candidate for president this election, several joint councils in the battleground states of Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin have since publicly pledged their support for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

“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 Teamsters General Executive Board announced on Wednesday.

The union’s decision remains an outlier leading up to November, as most major labor unions have backed Harris including the United Auto Workers, the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the United Steelworkers.

Earlier on Wednesday, Teamsters released an electronic poll showing nearly 60 percent of its membership supported Trump, while a second poll by phone showed 58 percent of members chose Trump, compared to 31 percent supporting Harris. Trump boasted over the numbers during a campaign rally in New York that same day. However, joint councils and local unions, including the Long Island chapter, have endorsed Harris. 

“As Vice President of the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris worked with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over a million retirees to date,” said Bill Carroll, President of Teamsters Joint Council 39 in Wisconsin. “This November we will work with millions of union workers across the country to defeat Donald Trump once again.”

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, also received an endorsement from Michigan’s Joint Council 43, which wrote: “Both Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz have consistently demonstrated their dedication to championing the labor movement, safeguarding social security, and ensuring access to qualify healthcare for All Americans, including women’s reproductive rights.”

Joint Councils 7 and 42, representing 300,000 Teamsters across California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Guam backed Harris and Walz for their “commitment to standing with working people through action, such as supporting the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.” The joint statement also highlighted Walz’ signature on a bill banning forced captive audience meetings. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) shared the endorsement on X, and captioned, “Nevada Teamsters know that Kamala Harris is a fighter for our union workers. She has our back, and together with every union in this state, Nevada has hers.”

In August, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien ignited an internal rebellion at his union when speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. O’Brien also requested to speak at the Democratic National Convention but failed to receive an invitation. Instead, the DNC invited rank-and-file Teamsters whose pensions were saved by the Biden-Harris administration to speak.