National Black Caucus Of The International Brotherhood Of Teamsters Endorses Kamala Harris For President

In a statement, the caucus praised Vice President Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for upholding the rights of American workers.

Although the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has refrained from officially endorsing Kamala Harris for President, the vice president received one from the National Black Caucus of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters instead.

According to Politico, members of the caucus voted unanimously on Aug. 13 to endorse Vice President Harris, and that move carries some risk inside of an organization that has historically been prone to retaliation.

In a statement, the caucus praised Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for upholding the rights of American workers.

“Their records reflect a deep dedication to advancing labor rights and supporting working-class Americans,” the caucus said. “As a key partner in leading the most pro-labor administration in our lifetimes, Vice President Harris has proven to be a tough and principled fighter for workers’ rights and a leader who delivers on her promises.”

According to The New York Times, the endorsement from the Black Caucus of the Teamsters indicates an ideological split from the Teamsters president, Sean O’Brien, who requested to speak at both the Democratic and Republican Party National Conventions. O’Brien has also signaled that he could be open to endorsing Trump.

James Curbeam, the chairman of the caucus, has previously criticized O’Brien’s willingness to capitulate to Trump and in his own statement, described his belief that endorsing Trump would be a “betrayal” of the group’s values.

“Trump showed us for over 40 years who he really is: someone who is not for us,” Curbeam said. “Endorsing a candidate with his history would be a betrayal of the values that we have fought to uphold.”

However, according to The New Republic, O’Brien may soon be feeling pressure to abandon his neutral stance after Trump embraced union-busting during his interview with Elon Musk on Twitter/X.

O’Brien told Politico on Aug. 13 that “Firing workers for organizing, striking, and exercising their rights as Americans is economic terrorism.”

Although the Teamsters typically wait until after both conversations to endorse a particular candidate, O’Brien indicated to NBC 10 Boston that he has not been extended an invitation to speak at the Democratic convention.

The Democratic National Convention, however, told Politico that it expects to include the voices of labor and union leaders to help tell the story of the Harris/Walz campaign.

Matt Hill, the Senior Director of Communications for the DNC, told Politico, “We are building a convention in Chicago that will tell our story to the American people, including the stories of labor and union leaders and workers across America supporting the Harris-Walz ticket and their pro-union record and vision.”