This Very Messy Nonendorsement of Harris Is Bad for Unions Everywhere

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

66% : Moreover, O'Brien's decision to speak at the GOP convention this year undoubtedly helped push some-to-many rank-and-file Teamsters to back Trump because his appearance there seemed like an embrace of Trump.
43% : Three days after O'Brien -- in an unusual step for a union leader -- spoke at the Republican National Convention to urge the GOP to be nicer to labor, Trump kicked unions in the teeth in his acceptance speech by mocking the United Auto Workers.
43% : Also, Teamster leaders evidently also failed to explain to rank-and-file members that Harris has fought for policy after policy strongly backed by the Teamsters and other unions, including the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which is the labor movement's No. 1 legislative priority and would make it considerably easier for the Teamsters and other unions to organize.
40% : Trump recently launched a missile at organized labor's heart by praising the idea of firing striking workers (even though that is illegal under federal law).
37% : While Trump appointed a stream of anti-union, pro-business right-wingers to the federal courts and National Labor Relations Board, the Biden-Harris administration has made one pro-labor appointment after another to the courts and NLRB.
30% : (Trump opposed that legislation.)
27% : In the Teamsters' news release announcing its nonendorsement, the union defended its decision by citing an internal survey that had found rank-and-file Teamsters strongly favored Trump over Harris.
24% : Harris, unlike Trump, also supports increasing the pathetically low $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage to at least $15.
20% : Trump opposes the PRO Act.
19% : The Teamsters board seemed to be making this a litmus test, wanting Harris and Trump to pledge not to block a national rail strike even though presidents and Congress are specifically empowered to do so under the Railway Labor Act.
16% : "A major reason the Teamsters gave for not backing Harris or Trump was that neither would commit not to interfere to prevent a threatened strike, such as a coast-to-coast rail walkout.
14% : The Teamsters' nonendorsement is widely seen as a blow to Harris, and that nonendorsement, together with O'Brien's appearance at the Republican convention, could definitely help deliver victory to Trump in November -- something that O'Brien and his union will end up regretting because a second Trump administration will probably be even more of a danger to unions (and democracy) than the first one.
10% : Trump, who openly supports firing strikers, could never be expected to agree not to prevent a rail strike, but the Teamsters seemed to be demanding that Harris agree to walk the plank on this issue.
3% : But to my mind, that internal survey showing so many Teamsters backing Trump highlighted something else: The union's leadership must have done a dreadful job informing and educating rank-and-file members about how hugely anti-union Trump is and how aggressively anti-union and anti-worker Trump's first administration was (and appointees were).

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