LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – Today, the Teamsters Local 89 Executive Board unanimously moved to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for President and Vice President of the United States of America based solely on their support for union related issues.
During her time as Vice President and before, Harris has stood strong with Organized Labor on key issues such the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and a dramatically strengthened National Labor Relations Board. Perhaps most important to our Union, in 2021 Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate to pass the Butch Lewis Act as part of the American Rescue Plan. Passage of the Butch Lewis Act saved the Central States Pension Fund from insolvency and guaranteed the livelihoods of over 200,000 current Teamster retirees and countless more in the future.
Tim Walz also has a strong history of support for organized labor as Governor of Minnesota and is in fact a card-carrying union member from his time as a schoolteacher in the National Education Association. He has consistently shown his love and support for the American Labor Movement not just through his legislation, but through direct actions such as walking with workers on picket lines.
Over the Summer, notice was mailed to the entire Teamsters Local 89 membership of the date and time of a Straw Poll, to be held at our union hall, relating to the upcoming Presidential Election. At the conclusion of that Straw Poll, Local 89 members voted overwhelmingly against Donald Trump.
As leaders of Local 89, it is paramount that we are open and honest with our membership, even when what needs to be said may not be well received by some. We respect that some of our members choose to personally support former President Trump, but it is our duty to inform all Local 89 Teamsters that when it comes to what candidates will support Organized Labor and the values we stand for, Harris-Walz is the clear choice by far.
In these trying and charged political times, it is crucial that all union members look beyond the issues that divide us and instead look to the issues that matter to every working person in America like ensuring your family has food on the table and a roof over their heads. To do that, we must support candidates who we know will support Labor over Corporations and working people over CEOs.
In 2024, it is clear Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the candidates who will stand with us when we need them the most, and so we encourage all members of Teamsters Local 89 to support the candidates who will support our Union by casting their ballots for the Harris-Walz ticket on Tuesday, November 5th.
