Teamsters union is staying out of the election, kind of. Why they won't endorse

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters isn’t supporting former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, the third time in 13 elections that the union hasn’t endorsed a presidential candidate.

Sean O'Brien, president of the Teamsters, made the announcement Wednesday.

In the 16 elections since 1960, when the union endorsed Republican candidate Richard Nixon over Democrat John F. Kennedy, the Teamsters have endorsed Republicans in five presidential elections. The union endorsed Democrats in nine elections.

The Teamsters did not endorse any presidential candidate in the 1976 and 1996 elections.

This year, "neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business," O'Brien said in a statement.

Which candidates have the Teamsters endorsed – or skipped?

Can't see our graphics? Click here.

Formed in 1903, the Teamsters have 1.3 million members in 1,900 affiliates across the U.S. and others in Canada. The union says it's the most diverse in the country.

Since 2000, the Teamsters have endorsed Democratic presidential candidates. Before that, the union supported Republicans Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 and George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Other major labor unions have endorsed Harris, including the United Auto Workers. The AFL-CIO, which represents 60 unions and 12.5 million workers, endorsed Harris in July, Reuters reported.

Teamster members prefer Trump over Harris by 59.6% to 34%, according to a national electronic poll taken Wednesday by the union.

Teamsters will not endorse Trump or Harris in Nov. election

STORY: The Teamsters union said Wednesday they won’t endorse any U.S. presidential candidate for the first time since 1996. That’s despite a majority of members backing Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in polls. A recent poll the Teamsters released Wednesday shows 59.6% of its members preferred the Republican candidate, compared to 34% for Democrat Harris. The union counts some 1.3 million

A few local Teamster chapters have endorsed Harris.

Teamsters Joint Councils 7 and 42, which include 300,000 members in California, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam, endorsed Harris shortly after the national union's announcement, as well as Michigan Teamsters Joint Council 43 and Teamsters Joint Council 39, which represents all Teamsters in the state of Wisconsin, Paste BN reported.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Paste BN

Source: Paste BN Network reporting and research; Reuters; George Washington University