Arizona Teamsters endorse Harris for president after national leaders decide to sit out election

Arizona Teamsters’ leadership unanimously voted to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the November presidential election.

The local executive board took matters into its own hands after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) chose not to endorse in the presidential race. Dawn Schumann, political director of Teamsters Local 104, said the local chapter voted to support Harris based on what she has done for labor over the years of her career.

“Vice President Harris has committed to signing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO Act), and has strengthened the National Labor Relations Board,” the local union said in a press release. “And will continue to work for the middle-class rather than empowering corporate interests who benefit from the exploitation of working people and weakening labor unions.”

Teamsters Local 104 represents over 9,600 Arizona members. The national organization represents 1.3 million workers in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

In September, the IBT General Executive Board opted not to endorse a candidate in the presidential race for the first time since 1996. IBT endorsed Harris as President Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020, and has not endorsed a Republican for US President since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

“The Teamsters thank all candidates for meeting with members face-to-face during our unprecedented roundtables,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business.”

When the general president and executive board made their decision not to endorse either candidate, they gave each local council their own autonomy to make their own decisions at the local level, Schumann said.

While the Arizona executive board endorsed the Democratic ticket, electronic polling of Local 104 members following President Biden’s withdrawal put Trump over Harris by a 54% – 40% margin.

But, Arizona Teamsters favored Biden over Trump – when he was still on the ticket, by a 54% to 30% margin, and 12% choosing “other.”

Several other local Teamster unions have endorsed Harris, such as battleground states Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

Looking at the track record of both parties, what they have done and not done for labor over the years is what matters to the union when choosing who to endorse—and not to. Schumann said Harris was the tie-breaking vote that passed the American Rescue Plan, providing relief to working Americans and preventing disastrous cuts to pensions across the nation.

The American Rescue Plan, which no Republicans voted for, included the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act – Butch Lewis was a teamster.

The law preserved and restored the pensions of more than one million retirees and workers, helping financially troubled multiemployer plans meet their benefit obligations to retired participants.

“She [Harris] stood on the right side of Teamster history when she cast that vote,” Schumann said. “The actions of what people do is where their true character lies.”

The union does not gain any money or political advantage in their decision to endorse Harris, and the decision is solely based on what she has done for labor in the past, Schumann said. The endorsement also does not bind members to a candidate; Schumann said they are free to vote however they want.

Schumann also expressed that she could not speak on the general union’s decision not to endorse a candidate, but that it is “vital that local unions share with their members who they believe is the best candidate for labor in this election.”