After the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ executive board declined to endorse either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, a series of local “joint councils” representing hundreds of thousands of workers in key swing states endorsed Harris.

What You Need To Know

  • A series of local “joint councils” representing hundreds of thousands of Teamsters workers in key swing states endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ executive board declined to endorse either her or Trump

  • Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams said on social media that Harris had earned the endorsement of Teamsters Joint Council 43 in Michigan, Teamsters Joint Council 39 in Wisconsin, and Teamsters Joint Council 7 and Joint Council 42, which represent 300,000 members across California, Hawaii, Guam and battleground Nevada

  • Teamsters Joint Councils and locals in Washington state, Idaho and Alaska, Philadelphia, Miami, western Pennsylvania, and elsewhere had already offered their endorsement of Harris prior to Wednesday

  • In August, the Teamsters’ National Black Caucus endorsed Harris after its chairman condemned Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien for making overtures to Trump and speaking at the Republican National Convention

Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams said on social media that Harris had earned the endorsement of Teamsters Joint Council 43 in Michigan, Teamsters Joint Council 39 in Wisconsin, and Teamsters Joint Council 7 and Joint Council 42, which represent 300,000 members across California, Hawaii, Guam and battleground Nevada.

“The 300,000 Teamsters who work across California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Guam are fundamental to the American economy, not only producing and transporting goods, but also providing essential services throughout the private and public sectors,” said Joint Council 42 President Chris Griswold in a statement. “They deserve a committed administration that will relentlessly advocate for their rights, ensure their safety, and prioritize the needs of working people.”

Joint Council 7 President Peter Finn added in the statement that while Teamsters members come from different backgrounds and hold diverse viewpoints, their members “refuse to be divided by extremist political forces or greedy corporations that want to see us fail.”

Joint Councils “are set up in areas with three or more local unions. Joint Councils help coordinate Teamsters activities in those areas,” according to the Teamsters. 

In Michigan, Teamsters Joint Council 43 President Kevin Moore said his executive board voted to “enthusiastically endorse the Harris-Walz campaign” and all down-ballot Democrats in Michigan. Wisconsin Teamsters President Bill Carroll said in a statement that he credited Harris for working “with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over a million retirees to date.”

Passed in spring 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan, the Butch Lewis Act was named after a retired Ohio trucker and Teamsters union leader who spent the last years of his life fighting to prevent massive cuts to the Teamsters’ Central States Pension Fund. The law allowed the Treasury to funnel funds into pension plans, preventing them from being subject to cuts that grew common after the stock market collapse in 2008.

Gregory Floyd, a vice president at large for the Teamsters and a president of Local 237 in New York City, also told Politico on Wednesday that his union would endorse Harris.

Teamsters Joint Councils and locals in Washington state, Idaho and Alaska, Philadelphia, Miami, western Pennsylvania, and elsewhere had already offered their endorsement of Harris prior to Wednesday. In August, the Teamsters’ National Black Caucus endorsed Harris after its chairman condemned Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien for making overtures to Trump and speaking at the Republican National Convention. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.