Truck drivers meet Wednesday to vote on Harris or Trump

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Teamsters union board meets in Washington on Wednesday to decide who to support in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

The Teamsters’ support could be a deciding factor in several key swing states that will determine the Nov. 5 election. They include Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, which all have large union memberships.

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said Monday the union could make a choice as early as Wednesday after union representatives met with Vice President Kamala Harris. They met with her Republican rival Donald Trump in January.

“We can’t put this off until later,” O’Brien said.

The Teamsters, one of the largest labor unions in the country, represents truck drivers and a wide range of other workers, including airline pilots and zoo workers.

The union endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, as well as Democrats Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. It has backed Republicans in some previous elections.

Before Biden withdrew from the race in late July, leaders were not considering endorsing any candidate.

Most major 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.

O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in July but criticized Trump for suggesting that workers who strike could be fired.

On Wednesday, the union will present the results of a survey of its members to the executive board; this is one factor taken into account in making the decision.

Asked if the union might decide not to endorse, O’Brien said: “We’ll consider all options… We have to make sure we make the right decision.”

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sonali Paul, Heather Timmons and Chizu Nomiyama)