MADISON, Wis. — In a rare move, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) won’t endorse a candidate for President of the United States this election cycle, citing a lack of serious commitment to the interests of working people by the nominees from both major political parties.
The last time the national Teamsters sat out an election was 1996. Since then, the organization has reliably backed Democrats, with George H.W. Bush as the last Republican candidate the union endorsed in 1988.
However, that hasn’t stopped local chapters, including in Wisconsin, from getting involved in the race for the White House.
Bill Carroll, who serves as president of the Milwaukee-based Teamsters Joint Council 39 Executive Board, which unanimously endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket, called the decision a “no-brainer” as Wisconsin joined local chapters in other battleground states, including Michigan and Nevada.
“I believe the general executive board at the IBT is trying to respect everybody’s opinion, however, the experience in Wisconsin is much different than it is nationally,” Carroll explained. “Particularly, in blue states.”
Though the national union isn’t making an endorsement, surveys of members showed overwhelming support for former President Donald Trump.
However, results from a straw poll conducted among union members at town halls showed support for Biden over Trump before the president dropped out of the race.
In a statement, Trump Campaign Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, “the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear — they want President Trump back in the White House!”
Yet, leaders such as Carroll aren’t completely convinced.
“I’m not sure about the methodology. I’m not necessarily disagreeing with it but, again, as union leadership we have a responsibility to make the right decisions on behalf of our members,” Carroll said. “We’re not telling our members how to vote, but we want to encourage them to really think about what they’re doing here.”
In July, the president of the national Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which was reportedly a first in history.
“He was blunt. I mean I thought he was very blunt and direct at the convention about what he thought about parties and the different presidential candidates at that time, so I’m not particularly surprised that it went this way,” Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming said. “So, I think it’s very, very significant that a union that is otherwise seen as a default endorsement for the Democrats is no longer.”
Dozens of retired Teamsters did take the stage to endorse Harris during the Democratic National Convention in August, including Kenneth Stribling of Milwaukee, who had his pension saved by the Butch Lewis Act after Harris cast the tie-breaking vote as vice president.
“When Vice President Harris and President Biden got into office, they got to work on that issue immediately and they provided relief for millions of retirees. That’s probably the largest issue,” Carroll added.
As far as how the Wisconsin chapter reached its decision, Carroll said a straw poll was done in May when President Biden was still in the race and the results were overwhelmingly in his favor. Last Sunday, the executive board announced to members its unanimous support for Harris during a meeting and Carroll said there was “not a single objection.”