The Teamsters’ sad state of affairs under Sean O’brien

Teamster president Sean O’Brien allowing himself to be used by fascist-connected Trump

On Sept. 18, the leadership of the Teamsters Union announced that they will not endorse any presidential candidate this year. This is a concession to the Teamster members who support Trump the bigot. All workers should be concerned about this. Young people too. The unions will have to play a big role in any push-back against MAGA. That will have to come from below,  from the rank and file. Here is the response of a retired Teamster UPS worker to O’brien. Oaklandsocialist comments below that.

The membership deserved better. A non endorsement is weak. Our power and strength should have been put to use for the betterment of the union and its members. For decades the Teamsters as well as other powerful unions used its power to influence elections to our satisfaction. We supported politicians and parties that did right by us. Not always 100% but 90% of anything is a good thing. It seems O’Brien is hopping on board the Bothsiderism Train to oblivion.

Facts are facts. Only one party right now is a pro labor pro union party. As flawed as they may be, it is night and day. We might lose on an issue w the Democrats occasionally, but 9 out of 10 times they have our backs. On the other hand, the GOP doesn’t care about our issues. They just want our money and our votes. And when they attain power again, it’s tax cuts for the well off, less regulations on businesses, RTW, overturn ACA, allow pension funds to wither on the vine, etc. Certainly not a pro-labor agenda.

Now we will have no say. No influence. UPS and other corporations will still be giving to the GOP. Amazon as well. Both if successful will be able to influence policy that helps their bottom line and hurts our members. Great move Sean! The rich and powerful don’t decide to abdicate any power because of some faction within their companies. He’s turned the once mighty Teamsters into fuckin Switzerland!

How did this come about? He allowed an ignorant, misinformed faction to dominate and dictate policy of our union. We all know that unions are all about the pocket book issues NOT guns, gays or immigrants. That faction is MAGA solely because of cultural, NON ECONOMIC, issues. They only care about these cultural issues and they put their own union’s best interests second, third and fourth. Sadly some of these MAGA members are nothing but anti-immigrant hooligans. They could truly care less about their union. They are union in name only. They put their cultural issues first and their union last!

Obrien knows this. Let’s face it: he was outflanked and outmaneuvered by this radical right faction. But he lost his strong position 9 months ago when the mobilization and education seminars and phone calls should have begun. Instead, Obrien played footsy under the table and in public with Trump at Mar a Lago.

We saw O’Brien was able to educate and mobilize his membership with close engagement and passion in the build up to the UPS negotiations. He had seminars, zoom meetings and massive informative phone meetings. But where was the passion for the past 9 months? Where was the powerful speech on protecting our pensions and health benefits, higher wages, protecting our right to organize, NLRB picks, etc.

Frankly, I think he felt if he gives lip service to the MAGA faction within the union, he could then eventually endorse the Dem and he’d be seen as “fair and balanced.” But he waited. And the MAGA faction mobilized without him. It cornered him. I think he fears them not supporting him in 2026.

Trump with his favorite dictators – Putin, Xi, Orban and Kim. There’s a reason he likes dictators.

It must be said: O’Brien fears the wrath of his own MAGA membership more than a dangerous, blatantly anti union right wing leader and his party. The German people learned this lesson the hard way in the 1930s. Trump has stated numerous times that he plans to lock up and prosecute his political rivals. I’m sorry but you don’t make deals with fascists. You fight them!

Other large, powerful unions also have MAGA factions. Other large, powerful unions also have to face their members at election time. But only O’Brien chose to abdicate our power and influence in order to placate that loud and angry and wrong faction. Real leaders see that as an opportunity to educate and mobilize for the betterment of the union. Real leaders act.

Remember the old adage: WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? Well, Sean O’Brien’s Teamsters have decided to not pick a side. And by not endorsing the most pro-labor administration since FDR, he is basically giving the go ahead to the MAGA types to support that anti-union politician and his party. No tough talk. No explaining to the misinformed to the culture warriors that a GOP led Congress and a Trump Administration will be destructive to our union as well as all unions private and public. No making the case that every union leader in this country made to its members. Nope.

I get it we’re unfortunately a 50-50 union these days. The Teamsters always had a faction of members who were Republicans. But it’s grown to 50% of the union because leaders like Hoffa Jr and O’brien dropped the ball. Trump fed on years, decades of a union membership not educated on the basic important issues concerning union members and their families. He knew he couldn’t win their support while also supporting RTW and pro-company NLRB picks. So he fed them red meat culture wars 24 hours a day. And yes I blame the past quarter century of leadership for this happening.

workers who think Trump and the Republicans won’t go after their pensions and social security will find out the hard way how wrong they are.

Again, other unions are split as well but their leadership is able to lead. They are not afraid of their membership. If Trump wins and implements all that’s in their right wing play book, unions will be not just be on the defensive. Unions will be an endangered species. Instead of being on the offensive against corporate America as we presently are, we will go back to being on the defensive and weak and maybe extinct!

It’s a lack of leadership that led to this bullshit survey and so-called poll in the first place. A very small % voted. It’s bogus. But it’s being used as an excuse to do NOTHING. If the members were mobilized and educated w a huge campaign to make the case, none of this would have happened. Real leaders lead. They don’t get intimidated by a loud, misinformed faction who don’t have the best interests of the union at heart.

Granted it’s ok to have a diverse membership with different views on different issues of the day. But some issues are not debatable. We are in a BROTHERHOOD. We take an oath to each other. To have each other’s back in solidarity. MAGA is not for any solidarity or even unions. It’s about just supporting a certain cult leader over everything.

It’s embarrassing to watch all this play out in public. Unfortunately, we are laughed at and weak. But with this absence of leadership from Sean O’Brien, this abdication, other Teamster groups, Joint Councils and Locals have come out publicly and endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket on their own. Bravo to them all. However, O’Brien fears the member. The MAGA ones anyway. He fear them remembering he endorsed the Democrat. He fears that faction in his re-election in 2026. Leaders like Vinnie Perrone in Local 804 wasn’t afraid. Perrone and his board are up for re-election THIS YEAR! He has come out publicly endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket. Granted, it’s not an EB decision but it still carries a lot of weight. I commend him. And local 804 has a sizable faction infecting it as well.

So, yes, he negotiated with the MAGA terrorists because he feared his own membership (losing re-election) more than a world run by a fascist regime. No, it wasn’t some conspiracy theory that he’s a closet MAGA or was promised Labor Secretary. No. I think he feared agitating that angry faction and disrupting his plans for 2026. That is not how union leaders think. Sadly, that seems more like what your average politician does. We need to be better. We need real leadership!

Oaklandsocialist comments:We agree with this comment from a retired UPS driver. O’brien is opportunistically playing up to the MAGAists in the Teamsters Union. His speech at the Reublican convention was a disgrace. As Oaklandsocialist pointed out in our article, O’brien said not a word in condemnation of the racism, sexism and ethno-nationalism of the Republicans. One thing to think about, though: In 2021, carpenters in and around Seattle conducted a struggle against a contractor friendly contract proposal.  They were fighting both the contractors and their own leadership. (It’s well worth reading about this struggle and Oaklandsocialist was there and published several reports.) Many – probably most – of those carpenters were Trump supporters, with all the baggage that goes with that. However, during the course of that struggle all those reactionary ideas were pushed into the background and a tendency towards working class solidarity started to dominate. If that struggle had lasted longer and been deeper, that tendency would have gotten even stronger, especially had the carpenters won their battle.

That’s what will change the consciousness – actual experience in the struggle. Last August, O’brien engaged in negotiations with UPS. He came away with some concessions from the company, but a lot more could have been won, especially for the part time workers. For that, though, a strike would have been necessary. But in the end, like the rest of the union leadership and for all his tough talk, O’brien is tied to the disastrous policy of being friendly with the employers. Unfortunately, the Teamster reform movement – Teamsters for a Democratic Union – has capitulated to O’Brien. A real, rank and file rebellion against these policies is what will drive the MAGA ideas back under the rock from which they came. Such a struggle would also lead to political independence and the building of a working class party. We do not agree that the Democratic Party can represent workers, though. For example, in the coming years both parties will end up cutting social security. But anybody who thinks the Republicans aren’t seriously worse is deluding themselves. For now, the choice is between Harris and Trump. For any thinking worker, that means there is no choice.