President Joe Biden plans to meet with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a significant yet undecided union in the 2024 presidential election. The meeting, scheduled for March 12 at the union’s headquarters in Washington, aims to address pressing labor concerns.
The Teamsters, comprising 1.3 million members, endorsed Biden in 2020. Topics of discussion during the upcoming roundtable include workers’ wages, income inequality, corporate bankruptcy reform, and antitrust enforcement in industries like warehousing and package delivery.
The focus will also be on enhancing workers’ ability to unionize.
This meeting follows a recent gathering between the Teamsters and former President Donald Trump. Both candidates are eyeing union votes in battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Trump emphasized his support for tariffs on Chinese goods and stricter border controls during his meeting with the Teamsters.
President Biden’s campaign expressed eagerness to secure the Teamsters’ endorsement, highlighting his commitment to labor unions.
However, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien emphasized the need for thorough scrutiny of both candidates before making any endorsement decisions. Union endorsements are deemed critical in an election where a few thousand votes in key states could sway the outcome.
Biden’s meeting with the Teamsters parallels his recent endorsement from the United Auto Workers (UAW), another influential labor group in battleground states. The push for union support underscores the significance of labor issues in the 2024 presidential race.
