In the US elections, the race between Trump and Harris is pretty close. To the annoyance of the Democrats, no union has come out in favor of either of them.
Washington, DC – The final phase of the US elections is underway. Support from one of the major unions in the US could help both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the final stages of the election. Teamsters, one of the largest unions in the US, has now taken a position. And does not want to help either candidate.
This is a particularly heavy blow for Kamala Harris. The union includes not only truck drivers and warehouse workers in the USA, but also people from the food industry – and these had always spoken out for the Democrats in the previous US elections. Now the 1.4 million-member union is holding back. According to an internal survey, however, up to 60 percent of members are said to support Donald Trump in the US election, as Politico reported.
Teamsters hold back in US election: Members mainly support Trump
Now, however, the California branch of the Teamsters has spoken out in favor of the Harris campaign. Two councils, namely seven and 42, representing a total of 300,000 members from California, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam, had issued a statement declaring their support for Harris and Tim Walz They said that Harris and her running mate had improved worker protection and strengthened unions in the past.
34 percent |
59.6 percent |
6.4 percent |
Note: Teamster did not disclose the method or number of respondents.
The statement reads: “Teamsters members work and live in both urban and rural communities, have diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, but Joint Council 7 and 42 Teamsters refuse to be divided by extremist political forces or greedy corporations that want to see us fail.” Peter Finn, Chairman of Teamsters Council 7, continued: “As Teamsters, we will stand together to have a strong voice in the workplace, provide for our families and serve the communities in which we work.”
The support is at least a small consolation for Harris, who had hoped for the support of the entire union. Since California is a blue state anyway and Harris is far ahead of Trump in the current polls, the support is likely to be welcome, but will not help Harris much in the US election.
The Harris campaign is seeking union votes in the US election
Many of the union’s other members are workers in the Midwest – where many of the critical swing states are located. For both Trump and Harris, the US election will most likely be decided here. Trump recorded the union’s internal poll and the absence of support for Harris as a victory. FoxNews he said, “The Teamsters carry a lot of weight. The Democrats can’t believe… it was always automatic that the Democrats would get the Teamsters, and they said we’re not going to support the Democrats this year, so that was an honor for me.”
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also commented on the published poll: “While the Teamsters board is not expressing official support, the hardworking members of the Teamsters have spoken loudly and clearly – they want President Trump back in the White House.”
It is precisely the American workforce that could tip the scales in the US election. In 2016, Trump was able to win the three hotly contested states in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin thanks to his strong ties to the unions. Kamala Harris is also aware of this. Julie Chávez Rodríguez, manager of the Harris-Walz campaign, wrote in a memo according to CBSNews: “It means something when about 45,000 votes in key states decided the election four years ago.”
And Harris is doing everything she can to win the votes of workers and unions in this US election. When planning the Democratic Party Convention, she relied on unions: from setting up the set, to the electricians, to the make-up for the speakers on stage, union workers were involved in everything.
The Harris campaign hopes that the unions will be the deciding factor in the US election
A Harris campaign official said before the convention: “We are in a fragmented media environment, and it is very difficult to reach undecided voters. The unions are the ultimate validator: They can cut through the noise and misinformation and present the facts about our record against Trump.”
Perhaps Harris was lucky. Teamster boss Sean O’Brien spoke at the party convention in July. republican – as the first boss in Teamsters history. Just two weeks later, however, Trump spoke about labor rights during his interview with Elon Musk and praised the Tesla CEO for his work methods. Musk was the “biggest cutter,” referring to Musk’s layoffs. Trump continued: “Look at what you do: You come in and say, ‘You want to quit?’ I won’t name the company, but they go on strike, and you say, ‘You’re all gone!'”
Things are getting exciting in the US election campaign
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Perhaps these comments did persuade O’Brien to refrain from supporting Trump in this year’s US election. Ultimately, Trump himself may have messed up the Teamsters’ support. (sure)
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