Pa. Teamsters endorse Kamala Harris after national union’s failure to support a candidate

The Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to endorse a candidate in the presidential race.

The failure of the national Teamsters union to endorse a candidate was seen as a blow for the Harris campaign, while former President Donald Trump claimed it as a victory for himself.

But an endorsement from the 95,000-member-strong Pennsylvania Teamsters, which also represents union members in parts of New Jersey and Delaware, could signal a more significant show of labor support in what both candidates view as one of the most important swing states in the election.

“I think it’s more important because we’re here in these swing states,” said Richard Hooker Jr. of the Philadelphia Teamsters Local 623. “It is more important for us to really show our members where we stand as labor, especially in these critical states where she’s going to need our support to get her across the finish line.”

Teamsters Local 623 in Philly endorsed Harris back in August, before the state conference endorsed her this month.

Leadership with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters made the decision not to endorse, citing that neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union, which represents truckers, warehouse workers, and other laborers. That decision left Hooker confused, he said.

Sean O’Brien, the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, spoke at the Republican National Convention in July — a striking move for a union leader. But he did not endorse Trump. O’Brien was not invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention.

Harris’ campaign has touted her support among regional Teamsters locals, along with her endorsements by the Teamsters National Black Caucus and Teamsters Retirees.

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have come out strongly in support of labor and amassed a number of union endorsements. In a release about the Pennsylvania Teamsters endorsement, the group called President Joe Biden and Harris’ administration “the most pro-labor administration in history.”

Walz is himself a former member of the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the country, which represents teachers and boasts 3 million members.

“I think other leaders across the country … realize that we have to engage our members and educate them on the importance of this election,” Hooker said. “Regardless of what the executive board does or doesn’t do, we realize what’s at stake when it comes to our union way of life.”