The Teamsters have not yet endorsed a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, but the head of the powerful union sent a strong message when he spoke at the Republican National Convention on Monday. Sean O’Brien told a packed house of admirers of Donald Trump, who wants to cut the corporate tax rate to 15%, that big corporations and the corporate lobby are “waging a war on the American worker.”
O’Brien’s remarks at the Republican National Convention were not well received by all Teamsters. The union’s official Twitter account slammed him on Tuesday after he shared an article about a speech he gave by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). The article, titled “The Promise of Pro-Labor Conservatism,” begins by suggesting that American workers are being treated unfairly because companies use their profits to “advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and the belief in the transgender flag.”
“No matter how much people like Senator Hawley combine such bigotry with a cynical pro-worker message, labor unions have nothing to gain by supporting far-right racist, misogynistic and anti-transgender politics,” the Teamsters account wrote to X, adding that “mock diversity does not unite a diverse working class.”
The Teamsters’ X account also shared The Nation’s post, saying, “Despite Sean O’Brien’s endorsement of Trump at the Republican National Convention, let’s be clear: a second term for Trump would not be a victory for the labor movement.” The account separately shared X’s post, asking, “Has anyone asked Sean O’Brien if he read the part in Project 2025 where Republicans want to eliminate overtime pay? Do union members know about this?” (Project 2025 is the conservative group’s controversial policy agenda for a second term for Trump.)
Neither post currently appears in the Teamsters feed.
The Teamsters’ social media manager wasn’t the only labor party upset by O’Brien’s speech. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that White House aides were “infuriated” by O’Brien’s speech because of President Biden’s support for the labor movement. While the Teamsters may not endorse anyone for president, the United Auto Workers endorsed Biden in January, and the union’s president, Sean Fain, has been a fierce critic of Trump. “Joe Biden bet on the American worker, Donald Trump slammed the American worker,” Fain said in endorsing the president.
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O’Brien himself praised Biden for what he’s done for the labor movement this week: “He’s arguably the most pro-worker president we’ve ever had,” he told CNN.
Teamsters President O’Brien: President Biden is arguably the most pro-labor president we’ve ever had. As you say, he’s improved pension systems across the country. He’s done a lot of work for the Teamsters union. pic.twitter.com/DOlZvEGotm
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) July 16, 2024
The Teamsters tried to interpret O’Brien’s appearance at the Republican National Convention as a way to “expose” the “corporatists” at the GOP. Spokeswoman Kara Dennis said in a statement provided to The Washington Post: “The Teamsters reject pressure to conform to those who continue to praise a broken system,” Dennis added. “We will continue to participate at all levels of the political process on behalf of workers.”
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O’Brien also asserted during his speech that the Teamsters are “beholden to nobody, to any political party.” He also praised Trump during his speech, calling him a “tough motherfucker.”
O’Brien wants to have both, but the labor movement is skeptical, as is his own union, as evidenced not only by X’s fraudulent posts but also by this statement from union vice president John Palmer, who wrote last week ahead of O’Brien’s appearance at the Republican National Convention: “It is unconscionable for labor leaders to confer legitimacy on a candidate and a party, both of which have done nothing, or can be expected to do anything, to improve the lives of the workers we are sworn to represent.”