Right-wing anti-union groups are protesting former President Donald Trump’s decision to invite the chairman of the Teamsters to speak at the Republican National Convention.
Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has expressed interest in speaking at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has extended an invitation to O’Brien.
O’Brien’s interest underscores the opportunity his organization sees as Trump steers the party in a populist direction and has been actively seeking to win his support and, in turn, undermine President Joe Biden’s support among labor unions.
But not all Republican allies are happy with the speech, which will be the first time a Teamsters leader has spoken at a Republican convention. The Democratic Workplace Coalition, an umbrella group for the business community, is opposed to O’Brien’s appearance at next month’s convention in Milwaukee, citing his union’s support for the Democratic Party and its “anti-business, anti-worker agenda.”
“The Teamsters, and especially its chairman, have routinely pursued policies that harm American workers, Main Street businesses and our economy as a whole,” the group’s president, Kristen Swearingen, said in a statement. Washington Examiner“Mr O’Brien’s policy priorities include forcing workers to join unions and destroying companies if they don’t comply with his demands.”
“Allowing Mr. O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention would lend credibility to a dangerous policy agenda and provide a platform for someone who disregards the rights and voices of workers,” Swearingen continued. “The Republican National Convention and former President Trump should reconsider the invitation.”
The chairman pointed to a recent report from the Labor Union Fact Center that found that from 2019 to 2022, labor unions “spent more than $9 million on left-leaning advocacy, with only $57,050 going to left-leaning advocacy.”
“We donated $7,877 to bipartisan efforts and $7,877 to Republican-led efforts and campaigns.”
of Washington Examiner He reached out to the Teamsters and the Trump campaign for comment.
Both Biden and Trump have sought to win the support of union members ahead of the November general election rematch. O’Brien, who leads the 1.3 million-member union, has met with Trump twice this year, including at Mar-a-Lago in January, which Trump described as a “great dinner.” In March, Biden met with O’Brien at the Teamsters headquarters, where he stressed his support for unions and the labor movement.
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The union drew public attention earlier this year when it donated $45,000 to the Republican National Committee’s convention fund. Biden won the group’s endorsement in 2020, but the Teamsters have not yet endorsed him in this year’s election.
The Democratic Workplace Coalition was founded in 2005 to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill passed the House and then died in the Senate, in part because of the coalition’s multimedia campaign. The group also targets “regulatory overreach” at the National Labor Relations Board.
