Teamsters' Local Leaders Fall In Line For Harris As Majority Of Members Turn Their Backs On Her
Teamsters Release Presidential Poll Data
By Peter List, Editor | September 24, 2024
Amid a firestorm of controversy surrounding the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ decision not to endorse Kamala Harris for President, and following the general release of polling results, national union leadership has had the credibility of the poll called into question.
“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on that promise to our members,” — Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien.
Despite the fact that more Teamsters members participated in the union’s poll than “likely voters” participate in most political polls—”more than 35,000 Teamsters responded to and participated in the electronic member poll”— many have questioned how a “small number” of union members can decide an endorsement decision for 1.3 million-member union.
Notwithstanding the lack of transparency and member polling in most unions, to further complicate the matter, over the last week, a large number of union locals have bypassed the national union’s non-endorsement and endorsed Harris on their own.
“Local Teamsters unions representing more than 1.5 million active and retired have now endorsed Harris,” progressive activist Scott Dworkin announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
To date, however, it remains questionable whether any locals who endorsed Harris have actually polled their members’ preferences, or whether the endorsements are the unilateral actions of local leadership.
On Monday, to put some of the questions to rest, the Teamsters released the poll data, which indicated that rank-and-file Teamster members support former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris for President.
Ahead of any possible International Union endorsement for U.S. President in 2024, the Teamsters committed to assembling rank-and-file Presidential roundtables with all major candidates for the first time in the union’s history and conducting union-wide polling of the membership. This inclusive campaign would ensure that members’ voices were at the forefront of any endorsement decision. Engagement occurred through worksite visits, social media, member texting, in-person straw polls conducted by affiliates, a phone poll using statistically valid sampling, and an electronic member poll open to all rank-and-file Teamsters in the U.S. By several metrics, this outreach helped drive the most transparent and sustained engagement in the political process by Teamsters in decades.
All member polling was conducted between April 9-September 15, 2024. All poll data, including methodology, is available below for all participating local union and Joint Council affiliates. Poll results are organized by U.S. state and affiliate.
CLICK HERE to access and review all Teamsters Presidential endorsement poll results.
Electronic poll was open to ALL members for more nearly two months
Within the released results, the Teamsters’ report explains:
The electronic member poll was open to all U.S. Teamsters and ran from July 24-September 15, 2024—a period following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the Presidential race. Members received notification about the electronic poll through the quarterly Teamster Magazine mailed to all members in July, as well as through multiple social media and reminder postcards sent to members’ homes. The electronic poll was independently managed by BallotPoint Election Services. The same question asked in the straw polls appeared on the electronic poll: “Who should the Teamsters Union endorse for President of the United States in 2024?” More than 35,000 Teamsters responded to and participated in the electronic member poll.
Apparently, many within the union and outside of it prefer unilaterally deciding for their members rather than having members participate in the “most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process.”
That says more about union leaders and outside critics than it does about the rank-and-file members.
