WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will visit the Teamsters headquarters on March 12 as the influential labor union weighs its presidential endorsement.
Biden will also participate in a roundtable with rank-and-file members and meet with the union’s leadership here, the union announced on Tuesday. The Teamsters boasts a membership of 1.3 million workers.
“We realize that President Biden’s time is limited and we appreciate that he is making it a priority to meet with Teamsters,” said General President Sean M. O’Brien in a news release. “Our rank-and-file members and leadership are eager to have this conversation about the future of our country and the commitments that working people need from our next President.”
A Biden campaign spokesperson confirmed the upcoming meeting to NBC News.
The announcement comes after former President Donald Trump met with Teamsters leadership at their headquarters in January. The union invited presidential candidates to participate in roundtables starting in December, which include discussions about wealth inequality, corporate bankruptcy reform and antitrust enforcement.
Trump told reporters after last month’s meeting that he believed there was a “good shot” at him securing the union’s endorsement.
“Usually a Republican wouldn’t get that endorsement,” he said.
The Teamsters endorsed Biden in 2020 but has yet to throw its support behind a candidate for the 2024 race. The union’s 2020 endorsement came in August.
Political action committee funds from the Teamsters overwhelmingly go toward Democrats, though the union leadership’s vote to approve a $45,000 donation to the Republican National Committee’s convention fund exposed divisions among its members, some of whom are considering halting their donations to the PAC in protest.
Biden has already secured the endorsements of two other major unions: United Auto Workers and the AFL-CIO. The president frequently touts his record with unions and says in speeches that he is “proud to be the most pro-union president.”
Last year, Biden became the first sitting president to appear on a picket line when he visited with striking autoworkers in Michigan.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
