The political arm of the Teamsters Union has donated $45,000 to the Republican National Committee (RNC), according to a recent filing with federal regulators. This move is part of the union’s effort to ensure that elected officials from both major political parties hear the concerns of rank-and-file workers during this year’s presidential nominating conventions.
The Teamsters’ PAC reported the contribution to the RNC’s convention fund in late January. Union spokesperson Kara Deniz confirmed that the check was issued in January and will soon be sent to the RNC. This follows a similar $45,000 donation made to the Democratic National Committee in December.
Representing an estimated 1.3 million workers, with nearly a third employed by UPS, the Teamsters’ contribution to the RNC has drawn attention in Washington. This is due to the union’s historical tendency to direct its political funds towards Democrats. The donation comes as Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is making efforts to appeal to union workers in his bid to reclaim the White House.
However, Deniz clarified that the union has not yet endorsed a candidate for the 2024 presidential race. She stated, “In the Teamsters, all our members’ voices will be heard, regardless of party. Rank-and-file members will be on the ground and active in both conventions this year to make sure elected officials know the Teamsters’ issues and are hearing the challenges that working people face in this country.”
Trump met with Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida earlier this year and with union leaders and members at the organization’s Washington, DC, headquarters on January 31. O’Brien emphasized the need to address “serious issues that need to be addressed to improve the lives of working people across the country.”
Despite the Teamsters’ historical endorsements against Trump, the Trump campaign is now eyeing an opportunity to capitalize on divisions between labor leadership and the rank-and-file, many of whom supported him in 2016. Trump rallied supporters in Michigan, a state with a significant union household constituency, and made an explicit appeal to Teamsters’ members.
Trump’s appeal to the union vote reflects the ongoing political shift in a once reliably Democratic voting bloc. In 2016, Clinton carried union households over Trump 51% to 42%, according to CNN exit polls. Biden expanded on that margin in 2020, winning union households over Trump 56% to 40%, exit polls show.