Harris to Meet with Teamsters, Union President Excluded from Convention

DETROIT (AP) — The Teamsters union is set to welcome Vice President Kamala Harris for a roundtable discussion in the near future. However, President Sean O’Brien has not yet received an invitation to address the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

Kara Deniz, a spokesperson for the Teamsters, which has around 1.3 million members, confirmed in an email that they are coordinating with Harris’ campaign to finalize the date for the roundtable discussion.

Despite his recent involvement in political discussions, O’Brien has not received a response regarding his request to speak at the Democratic National Convention that is scheduled to start next Monday in Chicago, according to Deniz.

His request to participate in the Democratic event coincided with a similar outreach made to the Republicans, she added.

Sources familiar with the convention planning disclosed that while O’Brien will not be on the speaking roster, the Teamsters will still have representation on stage. These insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide additional details regarding the specific nature of the Teamsters’ involvement

Historically, Democrats have stood as proponents for labor unions, while Republicans have taken a more adversarial stance. Most prominent unions, including the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers, have already pledged their support to Harris.

In a noteworthy interaction earlier this year, the Teamsters leadership met with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. O’Brien’s appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was met with mixed reactions, as he expressed his concerns over the negligence shown by both major parties towards the working-class populace.

The Teamsters union has decided to announce its presidential endorsement after both national conventions take place.

In January, Trump sought the backing of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters during a meeting, during which he claimed to have garnered support from a substantial portion of union voters. He expressed that an endorsement from the Teamsters was not out of the question, stating, “Stranger things have happened.”

However, comments made by Trump during a discussion with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on the social media platform X raised eyebrows. Trump praised Musk for terminating workers involved in a strike, to which Musk responded with laughter. These comments, though vague, were met with backlash from labor unions, branding both Trump and Musk as anti-labor figures.

The United Auto Workers organization took a step further, filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that remarks made by Trump and Musk could have potentially intimidated workers who wish to unionize. The NLRB has announced it will look into the allegations.

UAW President Shawn Fain condemned Trump and Musk’s comments, affirming that they want workers to remain silent and compliant, even joking about it openly.

In response to these developments, Trump’s campaign dismissed the allegations as frivolous and labeled them as nothing more than a political tactic.

O’Brien did not hold back in his criticism either. He stated, “Firing workers for organizing, striking, and exercising their rights as Americans is economic terrorism,” voicing strong opposition to the actions taken by Trump and Musk.