The Teamsters donated to the RNC and that is raising eyebrows. The powerful labor union reported a $45,000 donation, per Federal Election Commission reports.
The report was made but there is some confusion because the RNC has not yet received the money. Union officials are adamant that this does not equal an endorsement of Donald Trump for president. However, it is impossible to ignore the implications of such a donation.
The Democrat Party’s control of blue-collar voters has dramatically shifted. Trump’s election victory in 2016 was credited to average working-class voters who came out to support him. Since then, a realignment is happening between the two major parties. The Republican Party is becoming the party of blue-collar workers as the Democrat Party becomes the party of white-collar more financially successful voters.
Biden and Trump are battling for blue-collar voter support. Democrats are alarmed because Trump has not lost their support and is making headway with suburban and independent voters because of Biden’s failed policies. Biden’s policies, and those of other Democrat leaders, have led to economic misery and a rise in crime on the streets of America. The wide-open southern border is a national security risk. People do not feel safe in their communities.
The $45,000 donation is small potatoes compared to the amount the Teamsters will give the Democrats but it is still a noteworthy move. The union has supported Democrat presidential nominees since Al Gore in 2000. It is the first big donation to the RNC since 2004.
So, where is the donation? The FEC report shows that the union’s PAC made the donation on Jan. 25. The Teamsters said it was issued last month and is expected to be sent soon.
So, why was the contribution reported before it was sent? Spokesperson Kara Deniz responded.
Asked why the Teamsters reported the donation to the FEC before sending the money, spokesperson Kara Deniz said the union has “a strict internal auditing and reporting process that is followed before any contributions are sent.”
“Like so much in Washington, it takes time to go through the process,” Deniz said.
In January, Trump met with Teamsters president Sean O’Brien. He also participated in a roundtable discussion with the union on January 31. In interviews, O’Brien is careful to straddle the fence about the union’s potential presidential endorsement. Common sense tells us that the union will continue its streak of endorsing the Democrat candidate. It is interesting, though, that one big union’s president feels the need to appear to be open to both candidates. Trump thinks he has a “good shot” at the union’s endorsement.
O’Brien said that Biden has been great for unions. The Teamsters’ PAC contributed $135,000 to the DNC in December. Of that, $45,000 is for the DNC’s convention fund. This means that for the first time since 2000, the Teamsters will participate in both parties’ conventions. The spokesperson said that all voices will be heard.
Joe Biden likes to call himself the union’s best friend. Union voters in swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania can decide the election. Unions have benefitted from Biden’s policies that make it easier for workers to unionize. Biden’s administration has subsidized projects to create union jobs. But, despite all that, Trump is still popular with rank-and-file union members, especially in the battleground states.
The donation to the RNC reflects the Teamster union’s nod to its workers. The union bosses will likely continue to support Biden but it is impossible to notice that union members vote the other way.
The Teamsters union, which represents some 1.3 million UPS and other transportation workers, is one of only a handful that have not yet endorsed in the 2024 presidential race, wielding its stamp of approval as leverage in Washington, even as a large group of unions has endorsed Biden — the self-proclaimed “most pro-union president” — much earlier than typical in an election cycle.
O’Brien has said that it’s important for the union to get to know all candidates for the job and that members’ votes “will not be taken for granted.” Some labor experts say O’Brien could feel pressure to consider the memberships’ diverse political leanings, because he won his office in 2021 after running as a reform candidate who promised members more involvement in union decision-making. He is aware that many rank-and-file Teamsters are Republicans, they said.
Is O’Brien willing to support an endorsement for Trump to keep the support of union members? Or will he bend to the status quo and the union board members who are not open to supporting Trump? Union bosses call Trump “a scab” in his business dealings with union workers.
Biden has frequently touted his strong ties to labor unions, while straining at times to make inroads with working-class members. His biggest wins for the labor movement include approving trillions of dollars in spending on infrastructure, semiconductor and climate packages that incentivize companies to hire union workers as well as installing a labor advocate to lead the National Labor Relations Board who has made it easier for workers to join unions. However, he drew backlash from railroad workers in 2022 after asking Congress to impose a union contract that did not include paid sick days to avert a strike.
Last month, he received the much-coveted endorsement from the United Auto Workers union, whose leader, Shawn Fain, said at the time, “Rarely, as a union, do you get so clear of a choice between two candidates. … Donald Trump is a scab.”
Fain has made no bones about his disdain for Trump. He’s the bad cop to O’Brien’s good cop routine. I expect that the Teamsters will endorse Biden. In the meantime, it is interesting to see that a shift may be underway that will be more responsive to union members and how their dues money is spent in politics.