Teamsters decline to endorse election candidate - but claim majority backs Trump

The Teamsters International, which represents over 1.3 million workers, declined to endorse a candidate ahead of November's presidential election - but released data suggesting most of its members backed Donald Trump over Kamala Harris.

The union's decision to not make an election endorsement, for the first time in almost three decades, comes in the wake of scrutiny of its president, Sean O'Brien, becoming the first Teamsters leader to address the the Republican national convention in July. John Palmer, vice-president at large at the Teamsters, called the decision to appear at the convention, "unconscionable" given Trump's record opposing labor unions.

Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, met with the Teamsters this week for a roundtable discussion prior to the decision. Trump and Joe Biden attended roundtable with the union earlier this year.

"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 in a statement on Wednesday. "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."

Polling data released by the union ahead of the announcement showed that its members supported Biden over Trump, though more recent surveys conduct by the union revealed membership supported Trump over Harris.

The Teamsters National Black Caucus endorsed Harris last month.

In response to the non-endorsement, Teamsters against Trump, a grassroots group of Teamster members and retirees, announced they will expand campaigning efforts to elect Vice President Kamala Harris.

The California Teamsters also came out on 18 September to endorse Harris in response to the Teamsters International's lack of endorsement.

"When it comes to my vote for President, as a proud Teamster there's no contest. Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about the working class. As President, Trump didn't lift a finger to help Teamsters whose pensions were in danger. Instead, he installed his billionaire friends in the White House and did everything he could to stop workers from organizing into unions," said James Larkin, a member of Teamsters Local 299 in Detroit, Michigan and member of the group, in a statement.