Democratic Party presidential nominee Kamala Harris will take part in a roundtable event hosted by the Teamsters at the union’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16.
The million-plus-member union has not given an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race.
Sean O’Brien, the union’s president, told CBS News on Sunday that its endorsement was on hold because “you don’t hire someone unless you give them an interview.”
The group’s general executive board had already met with Donald Trump and the sitting president, Joe Biden, earlier this year.
“Half of our members are Republicans, half of our members are Democrats. So we have to serve all of our membership equally,” O’Brien said on “Face the Nation.” “This is our opportunity to ask her (Harris) about Teamster-specific issues and also labor issues. So, until we have that meeting, you know, obviously we will wait to make that determination.”
O’Brien, you may remember, spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, making him the first Teamsters president in the union’s 121-year history to address the RNC.
“Today, the Teamsters are here to say we are not beholden to anyone or any party,” O’Brien said in his convention speech. “We will create an agenda and work with a bipartisan coalition, ready to accomplish something real for the American worker. And I don’t care about getting criticized.”
O’Brien said on “Face the Nation” that he tried to get a speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention, but got no response.
“Whenever I get an opportunity to highlight the American worker, especially the Teamster worker, I’m going to take any and all venue,” O’Brien said in the Sunday TV interview. “We asked both conventions, respectively, at the same time, and the Republican National Convention immediately responded to us. I was hopeful that the Democrats would do the same, but they didn’t.”
In a statement announcing the Sept. 16 roundtable, O’Brien said the Teamsters “appreciate Vice President Harris taking the time to meet in person with rank-and file Teamsters. Our members are the backbone of this nation, working in all 50 states and representing every political background. We look forward to having a conversation on the direction of the country and the issues that matter to working people.”
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Chris Graham
