Teamsters union says Kamala Harris has accepted offer to meet its leaders

Vice President Kamala Harris accepted an offer from the leadership of the Teamsters union to meet for a roundtable discussion, according to the union.

A date has not yet been scheduled for the discussion with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a powerful union with about 1.3 million members. Harris has tried to shore up support from unions, a key voting bloc with outsize influence in battleground states including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Other large labor organizations like the United Auto Workers and the AFL-CIO have lined up behind Harris. The Teamsters, which endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020, has not endorsed a presidential candidate in this election.

“We look forward to Vice President Harris joining a roundtable of rank-and-file Teamsters to discuss the issues of importance to workers,” Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokesperson, said in a statement Friday.

The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters, spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month, which prompted criticism among union members. He also requested a speaking slot at the Democratic convention, which begins Monday in Chicago. A final list of speakers has not been released.

On Tuesday, the Teamsters’ National Black Caucus endorsed Harris’ campaign, setting it apart from the overall union.

Biden has often claimed he leads the most pro-union administration in the country’s history. Harris, as Biden’s governing partner, has benefited from that impression, as the Black caucus cited Biden’s position on labor in its endorsement.

The Teamsters inched toward at least a break with Trump, if not an endorsement of Harris. The former president, during a discussion with Elon Musk, recently voiced support for firing striking workers. The Teamsters responded on social media with a line from O’Brien’s speech at the Republican convention: “Companies fire workers who try to join unions and hide behind toothless laws that are meant to protect working people but are manipulated to benefit corporations. This is economic terrorism.”

O’Brien has previously indicated he would be open to endorsing Trump, whom he met privately with earlier in the year. Trump has tried to earn support from unions, which historically are a Democratic constituency.