Western PA Teamsters break with national parent union and endorse Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris at the 2024 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Awards Gala on September 14, 2024 (Creative Commons)
Alex Henderson
September 19, 2024Election 2024

On Wednesday, September 18, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters decided against making an endorsement in the United States' 2024 presidential race. The Teamsters, at the national level, won't be endorsing either Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump.

But in Western Pennsylvania, a local Teamsters council broke with its parent union and endorsed Harris.

Teamsters Joint Council #40 represents Pittsburgh and other areas of Western Pennsylvania, and according to TribLive, the council's president, Carl Bailey, said the decision was unanimous.

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Bailey told TribLive that Harris "is the best for our locals and the best for unions."

The Teamsters Joint Council #40 president praised Vice President Harris and President Joe Biden for helping save Teamsters' pensions during the COVID-19 pandemic, telling TribLive, "We will never forget that."

International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, on September 18, said of Harris and Trump, "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."

But Bailey told TribLive, "I think if Trump wins again, he will go after us even more. I don't think he cares about working people. He used to brag about having people fired. My job is to keep people from being fired."

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Read TribLive's full article at this link.