Reuters reported Tuesday that the 1.3 million-member Teamsters union representing trucking workers is considering backing no candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential race. This could compound political damage to President Joe Biden, who has traditionally received active endorsements from labor unions.
Earlier on the day, Reuters exclusively reported that Biden is “on the brink of failing to win a key labor endorsement,” adding that the leadership has not finalized the decisions and is expected to decide on endorsement in the coming weeks.
The report did not mention the Teamsters’ specific stance. However, considering their active support for the Biden administration in 2020, a change in their position is detected. The Teamsters, the largest trucking union in the US, have traditionally supported the Democratic Party. They supported Biden in the 2020 election and successfully secured a policy to support the truck union pension fund in 2022.
Their political influence cannot be overlooked. With over 1.3 million union members representing workers in all related industries, they are more than three times the size of the United Auto Workers (UAW), which has about 400,000 members.
Reuters added that the likelihood of the Teamsters endorsing Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, is low. However, due to internal divisions, they might not support any candidate at all. This marks the first time since 1996 that the Teamsters have not endorsed a specific candidate before an election.
Kara Deniz, a spokesperson for the Teamsters, responded by stating that no final decision had been made and clarified that any reports suggesting a definite outcome were speculative.
Since the first TV debate aired last month, Biden has faced mounting calls to abandon his reelection bid, both from within and outside the party. Not only big donors but also labor unions that supported him in the last election are expressing concerns about his abilities to serve as a presidential candidate.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters have traditionally supported the Democrats. In 2008 and 2012, they endorsed Barack Obama. In 2016, they declared support for Hillary Clinton instead of Trump. More recently, in 2020, they endorsed Biden. However, this year, they have not declared support for a specific candidate, even with only over three months remaining until the election day.
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