First, the Teamsters declined to endorse a presidential candidate. In a not-so-subtle way, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) also politely decided to sit this one out. It was a one-two punch, with polls showing that the Democratic presidential candidate’s standing with labor was underperforming President Joe Biden’s 2020 numbers. Granted, other unions have endorsed the Harris campaign, but core members may well pull the lever for someone different on Nov. 5.
The indecisiveness of organized labor leaders could be a red flag signaling a lack of confidence in continuing the next four years under the same administration — with a different figurehead.
This is only the second time since 1960 that the IAFF has stayed mum and not endorsed the Democratic candidate. The other critical moment of silence was in 2016 when Hillary Clinton was on the ballot. Not surprisingly, Harris is polling far below Clinton’s dismal union numbers of eight years ago.
Harris Needs a Union Hug
The approval of the massive labor movement boosts popularity, support, and grassroots outreach to blue-collar voters, particularly in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. For the most part, the Teamsters – 1.3 million members strong and all shades of political stripe – may have signaled the “OK” for other unions to sit this one out. As Liberty Nation News reported:
“[I]f one reads between the lines, a clearer picture emerges. During the week of September 9 through the 15th, 2024, the Teamsters polled their members and found that 58% supported Trump in the presidential election, while just 31% backed Harris. So even though the union leadership won’t endorse the former president, most of its members do.”
The IAFF declining to pick a candidate stings even more for Harris. With more than 350,000 firefighters and emergency responders, the union was the first in the ring to endorse Biden in 2019 as he took on then-President Donald Trump. General President Edward Kelly said in a statement that the decision in 2024 came down to numbers: “determined by a margin of 1.2%" against picking a candidate.
We might be seeing a shift in alliances in 2024.
Blue Collar, No Collar, No Love
Hillary Clinton lost two swing states to Trump in 2016, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where unions represent more than 14% of the workforce. Current polling from aggregate sites indicates that Harris and Trump are in a dead heat one month out in both battleground scenarios. Why is there a lack of love for Biden’s acolyte and trusted adviser? Many unions' white shirts have put their trust in this administration and, as some say, “the most pro-union president ever.”
Veteran Republican pollster Jim McLaughlin, who works for Trump, has weighed in on Harris’ lack of traction: “Private-sector union types like the operating engineers, the Teamsters, etc., they are overwhelmingly supporting Donald Trump. The bottom line is at the end of the day, a lot of these union workers that used to be die-hard Democrats, they support Donald Trump.”
A small feminist contingency claims those unions not aboard the Kamala Coach aren’t ready to put their trust in a woman. Hmm. "It's not a surprise at all — though still disappointing — that [IAFF] would not endorse the candidate who is most pro-union and pro-worker—and it is indeed likely because Kamala Harris is a woman," Katherine Spillar, the executive director at the Feminist Majority Foundation, a women's advocacy group, told Newsweek.
But consider the data: Firefighting is a male-dominated workforce. Only about 9% of women are full-time first responders. It requires rigorous, military-like training, and they don’t seem to be looking to increase their DEI quotas. It seems they just don’t like the vice president.
Biden spent 35 years cuddling up to labor and then had the rug pulled out from under his orthopedic sneakers by none other than Harris. Maybe labor is more loyal than other demographics.
But let’s face it: No one knew who Harris was, and in most policy cases, they still don’t. Is she a struggling middle-class kid from a neighborhood with nice lawns or a privileged child brought up in a large home in a wealthy Canadian suburb?
Perhaps union members smell a coup. And maybe, just maybe, they know they can work with the other guy down the road if push comes to shove. One labor official spoke to The Hill under the promise of anonymity: “Biden had 35 years of history with us, but I don’t think our members know Harris that well yet, or know what she’s done, what her positions have been, and that she’s been on the picket lines.”
They may speak for a lot of voters in America today.
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