The Teamsters’ decision to withhold their endorsement from any presidential candidate for the first time in nearly 30 years may be a pivotal moment in labor politics, and it may well have significant consequences for Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign. For decades, organized labor has been a reliable pillar of support for Democratic candidates, but this year’s election cycle marks a stark departure. The lack of endorsement is not just symbolic—it reflects deeper currents of discontent within a union grappling with its own internal contradictions and facing scrutiny under its current leadership.
The leadership of the Teamsters, under Sean O’Brien, has come under fire for various reasons, not least of which is the settlement of a $2.9 million racial discrimination lawsuit. The settlement centered around accusations that O’Brien, after assuming leadership in 2022, oversaw the firing of a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic employees from the union’s organizing department. The allegations of racial discrimination, along with internal dissatisfaction with O’Brien’s willingness to engage with anti-union figures like Donald Trump, have created a volatile mix of disillusionment within the union ranks.
Polling data released by the union shows that a majority of its membership now supports Donald Trump, a figure whose anti-labor policies during his presidency have been well-documented. For many, this shift is bewildering. Trump, after all, has a long track record of aligning with corporate interests, installing billionaire cronies in positions of power, and undermining labor rights. Yet, the union’s rank-and-file, at least according to internal polling, now seems willing to overlook those realities in favor of his populist rhetoric. This disconnect highlights a broader struggle within the labor movement—a struggle to reconcile the interests of workers with the increasingly fractured political landscape.
For Harris, this presents a serious challenge. Losing the support of a key constituency like organized labor, especially when internal fissures are eroding the unity that once defined unions like the Teamsters, could be a significant factor in the outcome of the election. The endorsement of labor unions has historically been crucial for Democratic candidates, and the erosion of that support may open a path for her opponents. The union’s internal strife, marked by discrimination scandals and a leadership increasingly out of step with the progressive values the labor movement once stood for, will likely be a focal point in this election cycle.
The Teamsters’ decision not to endorse Harris, while at the same time revealing that a majority of its members back Trump, is emblematic of a labor movement in crisis. If Vice President Harris does lose the election, this fracture in organized labor may well be a leading cause. In the end, the story of the Teamsters may not be one of political neutrality but one of a union grappling with its own relevance in a world where the lines between workers’ rights and political ideology have never been more blurred.