Kamala Harris Makes Surprise Visit To Teamsters’ DC HQ; Union Hasn’t Endorsed A Candidate Yet

By Dominic Patten, Katie Campione

September 16, 2024 11:21am

Kamala Harris sat down today in Washington D.C. with the Teamsters leadership and members for what could be the precursor to an endorsement for the Vice President from the powerful union.  

The meeting was behind closed doors and just ended, with the VP exiting the 1.3 million-member strong union’s 25 Louisiana Avenue building by a side entrance at 10:57 am PT/1:57 pm ET.

While there has been talk for over a week that the Democrat would meet with Teamsters chief Sean O’Brian and the union’s board, nothing was on the VP’s schedule for today. “The Vice President will be in Washington, DC where she will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff. These meetings will be closed press,” last night’s White House guidance for Harris obliquely said. “Then, at 1:30 PM ET the Vice President will participate in a campaign meeting. This meeting in Washington, DC will be closed press.”

That “campaign meeting” turns out to be, according Monday to the Harris team,” Vice President Kamala Harris is participating in an International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ candidate roundtable” – just like the Teamsters said on September 5:

O’Brien and the Teamsters board have previously meet with Donald Trump and President Joie Biden, when the latter was still top of the Democratic ticket.

The Teamsters have yet to endorse a presidential candidate, despite some backlash from members after President Sean O’Brien made an appearance at the Republican National Convention in July as the first Teamster ever to speak at the event.

 In his speech O’Brien warned that the union is “not beholden to anyone or any party,” adding that he didn’t care about any criticism the move might draw.

O’Brien did not appear at the DNC last month, and the Teamsters have left their official endorsement up to the members. So far, the union has not announced the results of the supposed rank-and-file vote, though it has historically thrown its weight behind the Democrats.

With the strong support Biden and Harris have given to unions since taking office in 2021, a number of Teamsters members were angered by the union’s donation to the GOP’s convention fund in January. However, playing both sides of the aisle, the Teamsters also donated to the Democratic National Committee, indicating less that the union is shifting alliances and more likely that it is hedging its bets in an unpredictable election year.

Closer to home, worries of another Hot Labor Summer in Tinseltown proved unfounded for the still fragile industry. Led in no small part by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399, the Hollywood Basic Crafts sealed their latest deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on August 1 with the overwhelming ratification of their new three-year contracts with the studios.