Rank-and-file members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union voted to endorse Donald Trump over Kamala Harris on a 2 to 1 margin.
Despite these results, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien is refusing to endorse a presidential candidate this cycle, according to a press release issued Wednesday. The Teamsters non-endorsement debacle is another example of union bosses ignoring the rank-and-file, and shows Republicans that embracing Trump’s worker freedom agenda is the way to win over American workers.
While the Teamsters have played footsie with Republicans this cycle, their political spending overwhelmingly benefits Democrats. Between 2019 and 2022, the Teamsters spent $9 million on politics, 99% of which went toward Democrat-aligned groups and anti-Trump operations. The Teamsters worked to undermine Trump’s policy agenda on every front while he was in the White House.
In a show of good faith, the Republican National Committee gave O’Brien a primetime speaking slot at the Republican convention in Milwaukee. In a speech that evoked Elizabeth Warren’s most deranged tirades, O’Brien accused American companies of “economic terrorism” and said that they have “no allegiance to America.” O’Brien pointedly refused to endorse Trump in his speech despite giving the longest speech of the evening.
After Democrat poobahs dumped Joe Biden for Harris, the Teamsters polled rank-and-file members and pledged that members would directly influence a Teamsters presidential endorsement. The results were striking: in an electronic poll, Trump beat Harris 59% to 34%. In a phone poll, Trump beat Harris 58% to 31%. In a statement on the poll, O’Brien said: “Our members are the union, and their voices and opinions must be at the forefront of everything the Teamsters do.”
Apparently not, as the Teamsters announced that they will not endorse a candidate for president just one hour after the poll’s release. The fix was in from the start, as Trump and Harris had different bars to clear to secure the Teamsters endorsement. According to the statement, the Teamsters declined to endorse Harris because she failed to earn “majority support” among the rank-and-file. Trump did earn “majority support,” but Teamsters honchos chose to ignore their members because Trump failed to earn “universal support.” Talk about a double standard. At least Harris earned the support of the IRS agents union, payback for Harris being the tie-breaking vote for the misleadingly-named “Inflation Reduction Act” that fattened up the IRS.
There are two takeaways from the Teamsters non-endorsement fiasco. First, this is yet another example of Big Labor fat cats ignoring their members. Union bosses take union dues from members and spend them on progressive political causes. Big Labor spent at least $1.8 billion in 2020 on electing Democrats, an election where 40% of union rank-and-file members voted for Trump. Given that union membership is at an all-time low, unionized workers clearly recognize that union bosses are more worried about electing Democrats than representing workers.
Second, the Teamsters poll is evidence that union members are trending Republican because of the worker freedom agenda Trump championed in his first term. The Trump Department of Labor enacted strong protections for independent contracting and franchises. Trump is a longtime supporter of right-to-work laws, which allow workers to get a job without having to join a union. Trump cut the corporate tax rate to 21% and slashed government red tape, allowing businesses to create jobs and grow the economy.
The Teamsters poll and subsequent non-endorsement make one thing crystal clear: there is a widening gulf between union members and the labor bosses that claim to represent their interests. Instead of moving leftward on labor policy to pander to Big Labor bosses, Republicans should double down on worker freedom.
Tom Hebert is the Director of Competition and Regulatory Policy at Americans for Tax Reform and executive director of the Open Competition Center.