Teamsters Will Not Endorse Any Candidate in the US 2024 Elections

By Simon Gallagher - La Marx US

The Teamsters announced on September 18 that they will not endorse any candidate for president in the upcoming election. The announcement of one of the largest unions in the country which endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election, has caused a national impact. This marks the first time since 1996 that the union hasn't endorsed a candidate. The Teamsters' decision is a true example that we applaud, beyond our differences with the leadership of the union whose members are part of the American union bureaucracy. 

Under the pressure of its rank and file, the Teamsters' decision shows that the behavior of not supporting any of the capitalist coalitions and fighting for class independence is imposed in order to confront American imperialist capitalism. The Teamsters' decision is a step to follow that must be imitated by all social and political organizations in the country. If you want to read the Teamsters statement click here.

Political revolution is destroying the oldier capitalist parties

Trump met with Teamsters officials in January to court their endorsement, while Harris met Monday with the group's leadership in Washington D.C, and after this events the Teamsters announced they would not support any candidate in this election. "This year, no candidate for President has earned the endorsement of the Teamsters' International Union.' "The Teamsters thank all candidates for meeting with members face-to-face during our unprecedented roundtables. Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business. We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries—and to honor our members' right to strike—but were unable to secure those pledges," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien.

The Teamsters' decision was taken under the pressure of its rank and file, as his own statement recognices: "During the Teamsters Rank-and-file Presidential Roundtables, the union shared feedback from members in the railroad and airline industries who work under the Railway Labor Act (RLA) and are at the mercy of government intervention that often prevents work stoppages. While 10,000 Teamsters at United Airlines are currently negotiating a new agreement, tens of thousands of railroad Teamsters were forced to accept a new contract implemented by Congress without member support in 2022. In roundtable discussions with Trump in January and Harris this month, neither candidate promised not to intervene to force similar RLA contracts, which undermines workers' bargaining leverage." 

Teamsters decision highlights Democratic Party crisis, that became visible when Biden had to resign his candidacy and make way for the candidacy of Kamala Harris. The discredit of "Genocide Joe" was so great that they had to change their candidacy in the middle of the campaign, but no one should be confused with Kamala Harris. She was also part of the executive branch that murdered thousands of Palestinians with NATO assistance to Israel. She try to present itself as a "candidacy of the minorities interests" but it is a candidacy that defends imperialism, Wall Street, the Corporations, and the ruling classes. As the Teamsters claim, we should not support it

The Teamsters decision a world example, a way to follow

Whether it is the Teamsters who make this decision is not a trivial matter. It is one of the most important unions in the country, with a rich tradition of struggle and combat in defense of workers' rights.  One of the most significant events in union history occurred in 1934 during the Great Depression when a group of trotskists militants in Local 574 in Minneapolis, led by Farrell Dobbs, Carl Skoglund, and the Dunne brothers, Ray, Miles and Grant, began successfully organizing coal truck drivers in the winter of 1933.  

Those comrades was member of the Trotskyist Communist League of America, the predecessor of the Socialist Workers Party, promoted by James Cannon and Leon Trotsky. The impulse to the struggle was carried forward by confronting the leadership of Daniel J. Tobin of Boston, the President of Teamsters an ardent anti-communist, opposed their efforts and refused to support their 1933 strike. Local 574 struck again in 1934, leading to several riots over a nine-day period in May. When the employers' association reneged on the agreement, Local 574 resumed the strike, although it ended again after nine days when martial law was declared by Governor Floyd B. Olson. Although Local 574 won a contract recognizing the union and which broke the back of the anti-union Citizens Alliance in Minneapolis, Tobin expelled Local 574 from the Teamsters. Member outrage was extensive, and in August 1936 he was forced to recharter the local as 544

We are living in a moment in which it developing the hatred of the people against all the political and social leaders who defend capitalism. The process of rupture, distancement and disillusionment in the old parties , is called Political Revolution. It is a worldwide phenomenon in which millions move away and turn their backs on the old organizations, in which millions decide not to support any of the coalitions that defend capitalism, which is expressed as an "abstentionist wave" that sweeps the world. For example, in Mexico almost the 50% of population in a position to vote, he did not support any of the capitalist coalitions that were presented. 

And the call for abstention, or electoral boycott, was called by important organizations and personalities such as The families of the disappeared, led by brave activists such as Mary Carmen Trejo, and the combative collectives searching for the disappeared, who launched several public calls to annul the vote by placing the names of relatives on the ballots, came out to fight. This call was also promoted by trade union organizations such as the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE), calling for a boycott of elections such as Section 7 of the CNTE in Chiapas, or Section 22 in Oaxaca, a day that had a national impact, not only in Oaxaca, but also in Chiapas and in some part of the north of the country.

Also a sector of the community police in Guerrero, as well as other communities of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec prevented the installation of the ballot boxes as an agreement of the community assemblies, Another sector in resistance that made the call to boycott the elections was the CIPOG-EZ. as well as the autonomous mothers of Oaxaca, The same meaning have the decision of the Teamsters in our country, this process provokes the crisis of bourgeois democracy, and implies an advance in the consciousness of our people, who every day believe less in the old treacherous leaderships of the mass movement. To read our analysis about the "political revolution" click here.

The political revolution is destroying the false left

Teamsters decision highlights the crisis of the American left. With this decision, the Teamsters expose 99% of the groups that "perceive" themselves as left-wing, but support the candidacy of Kamala Harris. DSA (Democratic Socialists of America), which forms the basis of the Progressive International (PI) headed by the Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, have adopted a policy of integration, support and calling for votes for capitalist governments and coalitions, including imperialist governments. The application of this policy of "class collaboration", "campism" or "popular frontism" means a break with the Marxist principle of class independence, which aggravates the crisis of the world left to unprecedented levels. To read more about the world crisis of the left click here.

IP is an international organization designed to support "progressive" governments that protect capitalism and imperialism, from the "left." Headed by Bernie Sanders and Alexis Tsipras of Greece's Syriza, DSA is today the most important left-wing organization member of PI in the United States, and integrates the imperialist Democratic Party with candidates on its lists. DSA fulfilling the role of acting as a decompression valve for the political regime, diverting the rise of the workers and the people towards the dead end of reformism. To read more about Progressive International click here. 

In the U.S., as a result of the global process of political revolution, as well as the shift to the left of sections of the mass movement, a new activism is resurfacing that seeks Marxist and socialist ideas. But this activism runs up against the reality that 99% of the U.S. left supports, integrates, and calls for support for the imperialist government of the Democratic Party. Stalinist groups such as the Communist Party and social democratic groups collaborate publicly and shamelessly with capitalist governments and coalitions, placing ministers, advisers and deputies in these governments. With this "politics of class collaboration," the leaders of the groups of the 99% of the world left are publicly betraying the American people.

At first, there was exponential growth of the DSA, but after the initial enthusiasm, due to its treacherous policy of supporting the Democratic Party, the DSA has entered a serious crisis. DSA suffers a collapse of its members, the collapse of its finances and a wave of layoffs of paid leaders and political cadres. 

The crisis in DSA drags down all the opportunist currents that have joined it, such as Solidarity that responds to Mandelism, Socialist Alternative (SA) headed by Seattle councilwoman Kshama Sawant, Tempest, Red Star, Bread and Roses, Reform and Revolution, Marxist Unity Group, Socialist Majority, etc. All of these sections are betraying the American people by supporting the imperialist Biden administration and capitulating to U.S. imperialism. They lie to activism by presenting themselves as "Marxists" or "socialists".

Teamsters decision shows that the campaign "against Trump's fascism" is a lie

IP has launched a worldwide campaign that "the right and fascism are coming", raising the spectre of the "advent of the far right" to justify the support for "progressive" capitalist and imperialist governments. But the Teamster decision show that the campaign DSA and many groups are launching is false. Nowhere in their statement do the Teamsters point out that there is a danger of the advent of fascism in the United States, ridiculing those who It tries to make you believe that Trump's candidacy is a "fascist attempt" to get you to support Harris. 

The reason why the Teamsters do not propose that there is the "danger of fascism" that progressives talk, is because Trump is not a fascist candidacy, he is a pro-imperialist, neoliberal candidacy and defender of capitalism, but it cannot be confused with fascism. Fascism is a regime that adopts methods of civil war against the people, which can be applied when there is a defeat of the workers. It is aregime that eliminates the most elementary democratic freedoms, that eliminates the unions, closes Parliament, eliminates the elections of bourgeois democracy and murders thousands of workers and popular sectors. Whoever says that "fascism is coming" is lying to get you to vote for Harris, and in this way proposes to lead you down a path of loss of class independence, calling for confidence in a candidacy that defends the interests of the ruling class. Do not pay attention to the charlatanism of those who propose "Vote Harris to stop the far right", they are liars.

Vote null, blank or abstain in defense of our demands

By annulling the vote, blank ballot or abstaining we are acting in defense of the demand for equality against the interests of the 1% oligarchy raised by the Occupy Wall Street movement, against the bailouts of the bankers and owners of the Global Corporations. With the annulment of the vote, the blank vote or the abstention, we defend our demands in defense of the rights of African Americans that have been raised by the Black Lives Matter movement or others, the demands of the Latinos, immigrants, workers, and women's rights and demands such as those launched by the #Me Too movement.

With the annulment of the vote, the blank vote or the abstention we defend the demands of the working class around the movement of "New Unionism". We are witnessing the revival of the phenomenon of unionization and the emergence of thousands of new and young union leaders in the food processing plants, drivers, carpenters, Hollywood technicians, university assistant professors, with important triumphs such as the Amazon workers of Staten Island, or the workers of the Buffalo Starbucks store, or the successful big strike by the autoworkers of the "Big 3" General Motors, Stellantis and Ford.

Keep in mind that ballots generally do not include a specific option for "blank ballot." Instead of an explicit option to cast a blank ballot or void vote, you can leave blank the section of the ballot where a presidential candidate is selected to abstain from voting for any candidate. This act of not marking any option is considered a blank vote. The exact rules and procedures for handling blank ballots may vary from state to state. Together with the Teamsters, from La Marx US we launch this campaign calling for the next presidential elections, as part of the struggle for class independence, and the task for the regroupment of revolutionaries to end capitalism once and for all, and impose Global Socialism.

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