Cole Welsh, Editor

Last week, one of America’s largest labor unions announced that they would decline to endorse a candidate for president for the first time in nearly three decades.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents workers such as truck drivers and freight workers, made the decision after meeting with both major candidates.

“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,” according to a statement released by Teamsters President Sean O’Brien.

The union, which stands at approximately 1.3 million members, solicited input from its membership through straw polling before deciding not to make an endorsement.

According to the union’s leadership, an electronic poll found that almost 60% of rank-and-file members preferred Donald Trump, while 34% supported Kamala Harris. Similarly, a phone poll indicated similar preferences, with 58% supporting Trump and 31% endorsing Harris.

For decades, the Teamsters, like many labor unions, have endorsed Democratic presidential candidates. The union backed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. It also supported Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012.

However, O’Brien has worked to make inroads with the GOP in recent years, speaking at the Republican National Convention in July. The union’s PAC made its first contribution to the Republican National Committee this election cycle since 2006, donating $45,000 before Trump spoke at a Teamsters roundtable.

Their decision not to make an endorsement, along with the released survey results, has created some worry among Democrats that their party is losing its appeal among the working class and union voters.

Since Trump’s victory in 2016, this key constituency has slowly shifted towards the Republican Party, which many attribute to Trump’s support for enacting tariffs on foreign goods and protecting domestic energy production. As seen with Ronald Reagan’s victory in the 1980 presidential election, the GOP’s positions on social issues have also attracted union voters, particularly men.

While many labor unions, such as the United Auto Workers and AFL-CIO, are still throwing their support behind Harris, the Teamsters are not alone in their refusal to back Harris.

The Fraternal Order of Police, which is the nation’s oldest and largest police labor union, recently announced their endorsement of Trump, citing his stances on public safety and border security.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, which endorsed Biden in 2020, has yet to back a presidential candidate in this election.

As working class and union voters are a large voting bloc in the American electorate, particularly in the swing states of the Rust Belt, it remains to be seen how this non-endorsement will impact the general election.

While Trump and other Republicans have certainly improved their standing among union voters, one can only speculate as to which candidate will win over the working class in this election, which is likely to be decided by only a small number of votes.