Teamsters break with tradition — and UAW's approach — in speech at RNC

When the head of the Teamsters union spoke at the Republican National Convention this week, it broke precedent, added another wrinkle in a consequential U.S. presidential race and highlighted a key difference with another major union, the UAW.

Sean O’Brien, general president of the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, gave a rousing speech Monday night that blasted corporate elites and touted the importance of working-class issues, but the choice to give that speech at the Republican convention sent shock waves through Democratic and labor circles — and even led to claims of betrayal.

O’Brien and the Teamsters, pointedly, have not endorsed a candidate for president, unlike the UAW, which, after some delay, threw its support behind President Joe Biden’s reelection bid in January. UAW President Shawn Fain, in fact, has been highly critical of former President Donald Trump in his comments in recent months, although the UAW leadership has reportedly weighed concerns about Biden’s prospects more recently.

The impact of O’Brien’s appearance, where he described Trump as a “tough SOB” after he survived an assassination attempt just days earlier, could be significant.

Teamster speech implies support for Trump

“He says the Teamsters are remaining neutral, but the talk, the reception and the approach gave license to Teamsters leaning toward Trump to go right ahead … in a race … that could prove damaging to Joe Biden,” said Harley Shaiken, professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley and a labor expert.

Shaiken said the speech at the convention, said to be a first for a Teamsters president, not only breaks new ground but also implies support for Trump in a tight election where labor’s ability to deliver votes could be crucial, particularly in swing states like Michigan, where the margins could be tight.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that Michigan had 564,000 union members in 2023.

Internal union divisions could play a role, too, whether it's Teamsters members unhappy with O'Brien's speech or at the UAW, where the independent monitor is investigating competing claims involving the president, the secretary-treasurer and a vice president following leadership shake-ups there.

Biden has certainly highlighted his affinity for unions, even becoming the first sitting president to join a picket line, which was during last year’s UAW strike against the Detroit Three, but Trump’s appeal to more than a few rank-and-file union members in both the Teamsters and UAW threatens what might otherwise be seen as a solid Democratic constituency.

Teamsters endorsed Nixon, Reagan

O’Brien, notably, has credited Biden as “definitely the most pro-labor president we’ve ever had” for his efforts, which included a $36 billion pension rescue package in 2022.

Marick Masters, professor emeritus and labor expert at Wayne State University, said the speech was historic, but it also reflects a shift in the Republican Party.

“They have moved from a quasi-libertarian, pro-business standpoint to a more populist mold where they look askance at elites, including corporate elites,” Masters said.

But the two unions are also different. Although the Teamsters endorsed Biden in 2020, they have historically had closer ties to the Republican Party than the UAW, “which has been tightly aligned with the Democratic Party,” Masters said, noting Teamsters endorsements for Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan along with numerous Democrats over the years.

Masters said the two candidates offer clear differences in what are seen as union priorities, but those will have to be determined “issue by issue.” Trump, if he’s elected, isn’t likely to make pro-union appointments to the courts or the National Labor Relations Board, Masters said, but his views on tariffs are consistent with a populist approach and many autoworkers would likely welcome a slowdown in the shift to electric vehicles.

The UAW, notably, has focused on the need for a “just transition” for autoworkers in that shift, which has become more complicated in recent months as automakers have recalibrated their sales expectations.

Shaiken, for one, doesn’t see benefits for workers in another Trump presidency.

“Trump received the embrace (during O’Brien’s speech) as someone who cares about workers and that is positively in my view not the case, not his track record,” Shaiken said, noting that during Trump’s presidency, General Motors’ Lordstown plant shut down despite Trump's outreach to GM CEO Mary Barra and his telling workers not to move or sell their houses.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: RNC speech puts Teamsters, UAW on different paths