I saw this today.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/teamsters-un ... 56888.html

The teamsters have refused to endorse either Harris or Trump. The internal survey they took is pretty damaging to Harris (2/3 support Trump). I was a bit surprised to say the least.

Somehow I’m not surprised.

Mikeinmich wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2024 9:19 pm I saw this today.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/teamsters-un ... 56888.html

The teamsters have refused to endorse either Harris or Trump. The internal survey they took is pretty damaging to Harris (2/3 support Trump). I was a bit surprised to say the least.

I'm not. The Teamsters have a long history as a "goon union" and it's hard to see truckers wearing blue hats.

I have never seen a labor union that wasn't hard-core Democrat.

The Carpenters build the stands for all the Democratic rallies, assisted by all the construction unions. As volunteers.

They're not just democrats. They're hard-core, heavy duty, all weather night capable low drag I-don't-want-to-hear-it, capital fucking D Democrats.

They don't need blue hats. They're in a labor union.

When I was at UPS (thirty years ago), I was surprised at how many Teamsters liked the GOP. I mean, really hard-core backwards-looking folks.

And, truck drivers in general tend to be pretty rank "conservative," siding against what they consider excess regulation. Never mind that the current version of "conservatism" hates them as much as it hates me...

Speaking as a dump truck driver, I disagree.

They're reading from the Book of Daniel while Paul Newman's a pickin' and a grinnin'.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56332388

I drove a bit, mostly salt truck but took a few side jobs for extra cash.

Is it really any better than a celebrity endorsement?

From MinM's link:

Following the Republican National Convention and Biden’s exit, the Teamsters commissioned a national electronic poll of its 1.3 million members, overseen by an independent third party. During a voting window from July 24 to Sept. 15, rank-and-file Teamsters voted 59.6% for the union to endorse Trump, compared to 34% for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

In the past week, following the Democratic National Convention and recent presidential debate, the Teamsters commissioned independent polling firm Lake Research Partners to conduct the union’s final national survey. This phone poll resulted in Teamsters selecting Trump by 58% for endorsement over 31% for Harris.

Among the Teamsters’ board members, 14 voted to endorse neither, while three voted to endorse Harris. None voted for 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,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. The union had “sought commitments from both Trump and Harris,” specifically about their union campaigns, core industries and right to strike, but was “unable to secure those pledges,” he added.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... -election/

I'm also not surprised. Biden has a long history supporting unions, Harris does not. IIRC the Teamsters endorsed Nixon, Reagan and George HW Bush, but endorsed Democrats since 1996. Sean O'Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention, but he was never asked to speak at the Democratic National Convention.

Ylatkit wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2024 11:27 pm I have never seen a labor union that wasn't hard-core Democrat.

The Carpenters build the stands for all the Democratic rallies, assisted by all the construction unions. As volunteers.

They're not just democrats. They're hard-core, heavy duty, all weather night capable low drag I-don't-want-to-hear-it, capital fucking D Democrats.

They don't need blue hats. They're in a labor union.

You're talking AFL/CIO unions. Teamsters have always been mavericks veering right. You may have been a dump truck driver but most of the long-haul guys have long been Republican, and now the feedback from the rank & file has forced the leadership to take a "no endorsement" position despite knowing that Trump HATES, HATES, HATES! all unions! He was the last hold-out in Las Vegas against organized labor.

My brother is a long-time I.A.T.S.E. member, going back almost 50 years. I'm not a union member but that's only because in my career there was no opportunity.

Here's an observation I've made over the last several decades. Corporations HATE dealing with unions, which are nothing more than collective self-run labor providing companies, but LOVE dealing with labor contractors who DO THE SAME DAMN THING! Who gets screwed? The workers!

If you say so. Our experiences diverge again-- none of the "long haul" boys (we call them "over-the-road") I know are teamsters.

Ylatkit wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2024 11:00 am If you say so. Our experiences diverge again-- none of the "long haul" boys (we call them "over-the-road") I know are teamsters.

Reports are that well over 65% of Teamsters are Trump supporters, that's why leadership won't endorse anyone.

Sean O'Brien is still wiping orange off his lips. He played the useful idiot at the RNC, only to be rewarded by Trump praising Musk for firing striking workers. O'Brien's still smitten with Trump, but he couldn't endorse him after that, so the best he could do was take his ball and go home.

There is no evidence showing Teamsters top guns received any monies from the orange campaign to not endorse. No evidence.

CDF

And that alleged 65% is now rushing to undercut their leadership.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... ris-trump/

Even a comedian takes this thing seriously.

https://youtu.be/LMKySYs-hCg

Will self driving vehicles organize themselves into unions? AIsters?

The union membership rate—the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions—was 10.0 percent in 2023, little changed from the previous year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.4 million, also showed little movement over the year. In 1983, the first year for which comparable data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent and there were 17.7 million union workers.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf

Teamsters Union membership is 1.3 million. Union membership is highest among workers in the public sector, think teacher's unions and police unions.