Teamsters Union Donates To RNC For First Time In Decades After Meeting With Trump

Federal records reveal that the Teamsters’ political committee has donated $45,000 to the Republican National Committee, marking a notable shift for the influential labor organization according to the Washington Post. The Teamsters have predominantly backed Democrats advocating for workers’ rights, including President Joe Biden.

On the same day former President Donald Trump had his second meeting with the Teamsters’ leadership in January, the union dispatched its maximum permissible contribution from its political action committee to the RNC, totaling $45,000.

Additionally, the Teamsters contributed $135,000 to the Democratic National Committee in December, followed by a donation of $15,000 in March.

The Teamsters Union, officially known as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), is one of the largest and most influential labor unions in the United States. It represents workers in various industries, including transportation, freight, warehouse, and delivery services. The union was founded in 1903 and has a long history of advocating for the rights and interests of its members.

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The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements on behalf of its members to secure fair wages, benefits, and working conditions. It also provides support and resources for workers facing issues such as workplace safety, discrimination, and unfair labor practices.

Over the years, the Teamsters Union has been involved in numerous labor disputes, strikes, and political activities. It has played a significant role in shaping labor laws and policies in the United States and has a strong presence in both the private and public sectors.

The union is structured into various local chapters, each representing workers in a specific geographic area or industry. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and is led by elected officers, including a General President and General Secretary-Treasurer.

The Post reported:

Following a meeting in late January at the Teamsters headquarters in D.C., Trump told reporters that he had a “good shot” at receiving the union’s endorsement. But Teamsters chief Sean O’Brien said during the same news conference that the Biden administration had “been great for unions,” adding that the Teamsters still had “some more questions that need to be asked to both candidates.”

O’Brien’s courting of Trump, starting when the two met privately in early January at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate, has outraged some of the union’s left-leaning leaders and members. One board member condemned the meetings, calling Trump a “known union buster, scab and insurrectionist,” according to the letter sent to the Teamsters president.

In January, days after O’Brien met with Trump, Teamsters executive board members received a letter asking them to vote to approve the $45,000 contribution to the RNC under the recommendation of both O’Brien and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman.

The Teamsters union, which represents some 1.3 million UPS and other transportation workers, is one of only a handful that have not yet endorsed in the 2024 presidential race, wielding its stamp of approval as leverage in Washington, even as a large group of unions has endorsed Biden — the self-proclaimed “most pro-union president” — much earlier than typical in an election cycle.

All in all, this marks a significant victory for the Republican Party as it continues to move in a populist direction in the age of Trump.