Posts tagged Sean O’Brien
Hard labor No, American conservatism shouldn’t move leftward on unions
July 30, 2024 // “The Teamsters recently stated the ‘S’ in ESG is ‘a critically important tool for advancing worker interests in the 21st century,’” he wrote. “Similarly, the AFL-CIO has said ESG investing ‘advance[s] the causes of working people.’” The “end game is to give unions more power,” Vernuccio concluded. “Yet while unions win, workers lose — and so do the investors whose money is being used for political purposes.”
Op-Ed: Big Labor’s GOP Gamble Serves Unions, Not Workers
July 29, 2024 // Rather than reevaluate union practices driving workers away, the same day that Sean delivered his speech at the RNC, the Teamsters hired three high-priced law firms to sue my organization, the Freedom Foundation, for the high crime of contacting his members with an invitation to leave their union.
COMMENTARY: The Teamsters Boss Paid a Price for His GOP Speech
July 26, 2024 // Mr. O’Brien hoped to buy political insurance with his speech—which would have fit in better at the Democratic convention—but others around him think even speaking to Republicans was too far. The Teamsters’ vice president announced that he’ll challenge Mr. O’Brien for the leadership because he went to “kiss the ring” of former President Donald Trump. The head of the AFL-CIO has criticized him for speaking to a party whose leaders “are on the bosses’ side.”
Labor unions start to unify behind Kamala Harris. Here’s why.
July 25, 2024 // Randi Weingarten, head of the 1.7-million member American Federation of Teachers and a close ally of President Joe Biden, said she'd forgotten to bring something on stage with her at the union's national convention in Houston, Texas on Monday. "I don't have tissues -- I should, unfortunately," Weingarten said, before thanking Biden for his achievements. A day earlier, Weingarten had been among the first labor leaders to express support for the newly announced presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Commentary: What Does a Likely Harris-Trump Matchup Mean for Labor?
July 25, 2024 // Those in organized labor who publicly support Harris see her as likely to advance Biden’s agenda. The Biden-Harris administration also tapped outspoken pro-worker former officials from California to lead the U.S. Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, tasked with protecting workers.
Labor groups begin to unite behind Harris’ campaign — but some holdouts remain
July 24, 2024 // Yet some notable union holdouts remain, suggesting Harris will still have some work to do to win over other working-class voters. On Monday, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the biggest federation of unions in the U.S. and a longtime supporter of President Joe Biden, announced its endorsement of Harris.
Teamsters social media rips union president in critical, now-deleted post
July 18, 2024 // “The message this sends to Teamsters of color, Teamsters women, and LGBTQ Teamsters is that they are not welcome in the union unless they surrender their identity to a new kind of anti-woke unionism,” the account wrote. “You don’t unite a diverse working class by scoffing at this diversity.” The account also suggested that O’Brien was endorsing what it said was an attempt by Hawley to tie bigotry to a “cynical pro-labor message.” During his speech at the RNC, O’Brien suggested that the union could revert from its historic posture of endorsing Democrats. The Teamsters account later posted that the union wasn’t “beholden to anyone or any party.”
Op-Ed: Union leaders need Trump more than he needs them
July 18, 2024 // Collective bargaining is a right and workers should be supported in it when that represents an honest expression of their collective will. It’s part of the First Amendment’s right to “peaceably” assemble. However, that’s not the same thing as accepting the claims of leaders like O’Brien that they need more leverage to pressure workers into joining unions for their own good. Workers can make their own choices. O’Brien spoke to the GOP convention in part because many of his own members are already Trump supporters and he needed to demonstrate to his folks that he’s willing to at least talk. Trump has thus far avoided catering to union leaders and has instead talked directly to the workers. It has worked for him too, getting the Teamsters boss to sing his praises. In short, O’Brien needs Trump more than Trump needs him.
‘Betrayed’: Unions, White House irate over Teamsters president’s RNC speech
July 18, 2024 // President Biden secured a pension bailout that restored retirement accounts for about 350,000 Teamsters members, appointed staunchly pro-labor allies to the National Labor Relations Board and instituted labor requirements for federal contracts. The backlash against O’Brien’s speech reflects the high stakes of the 2024 presidential election for the nation’s labor movement, which fears Trump will undo these policies.
Teamsters president’s RNC speech highlights Trump’s efforts to lure working-class voters
July 17, 2024 // An internal straw poll from the Teamsters showed 37 percent support for Trump, 46 percent for President Joe Biden and 5 percent for independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The rest were undecided, uncommitted or may not vote, board member John Palmer told POLITICO. But he added that not every local participated because they did not want to provoke tensions in their memberships. At Trump’s interview with the Teamsters in January, one campaign staffer said he already had the endorsement of the Teamsters’ membership, and that it was a win just to get an interview. Palmer believes there’s not been enough education from the Teamsters leadership explaining policy differences between Biden and Trump, such as in National Labor Relations Board appointments and Biden’s signing into law the Butch-Lewis Act, which saved some member pensions. The board member also acknowledged that an endorsement does not necessarily dictate how rank-and-file members will vote.