{"id":13280,"date":"2024-09-02T17:59:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T21:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tempestmag.org\/?p=13280"},"modified":"2024-09-16T17:22:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T21:22:11","slug":"the-rnc-does-the-teamsters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tempestmag.org\/test02\/2024\/09\/the-rnc-does-the-teamsters\/","title":{"rendered":"The RNC does the Teamsters"},"content":{"rendered":"

O<\/span>n Monday, July 15, 2024, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) General President Sean O\u2019Brien delivered a speech to the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee: \u201cIt’s an honor to be the first Teamster in our 121 year history to address the Republican National Convention.\u201d O\u2019Brien\u2019s speech went on for more than seventeen minutes, broadcast on national television<\/a>. (In today\u2019s terms, that\u2019s forty Tik Toks.) Most speakers were only afforded two to three minutes.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien used his time at the podium largely for three ends: ingratiate himself and the Teamsters to the right; drum up nationalistic fervor; and speak to \u201cAmerican\u201d workers\u2019 issues and corporate greed. He began the speech by attacking the criticism of his appearance, \u201cThe Left called me a traitor,\u201d (pauses for boos from convention). He goes on to salute Donald Trump (who he refers to only as \u201cPresident Trump\u201d throughout the speech), \u201cPresident Trump had the backbone to open the doors to this Republican Convention\u2026he has proven to be one tough S.O.B.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien continues through a roll call of Republicans that he recognizes on behalf of the Teamsters: Nixon, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.<\/p>\n

Over the past forty years, the Republican Party has really pursued strong relationships with organized labor\u2026In my administration, the Teamsters reached out to eight Republican Senators over our fight for paid sick leave. Josh Hawley was one of them\u2026 (Pause for applause)…I want to recognize Senator Hawley for his direct, relentless, and pointed questioning of corporate talking heads, lawyers, CEOs, and apologists.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This, of course, is purely fantasy. The AFL-CIO political scorecard shows that the average Senate Republican votes for pro-labor legislation 3 percent of the time. Missouri Senator Hawley \u2014 a proto-fascist and self-described \u2018Christian Nationalist\u201d<\/a>\u2014holds a zero percent record for 2023<\/a>, while Senator J.D. Vance distinguishes himself with a zero percent lifetime score<\/a> and his introduction of legislation to legalize company unions.<\/p>\n

The parts of O\u2019Brien’s speech where he raised the threat of Amazon\u2019s labor practices, compared the Chamber of Commerce to a union for business, or laws that prevent workers from ever attaining a union contract, were met with silence from the Republican delegates. To bring it home, he linked his worker advocacy back to national supremacy: \u201cWhat could be more important to the security of our nation than a long term investment in the American worker?\u201d<\/p>\n

Immediately after the speech, O\u2019Brien\u2019s closest supporters rallied to defend his appearance at the RNC. Dan Campbell, a partisan of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), wrote to Labor Notes<\/a>: \u201cThe sad reality is that many Teamsters and other union members already<\/em> buy Trump\u2019s populist persona and rhetoric. It\u2019s our job to engage with them.\u201d The suggestion here is that O\u2019Brien and the Teamsters don\u2019t buy into MAGA politics, and speaking at the RNC only used the opportunity to reach more workers that labor normally would not reach.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien did his part to quickly stomp out the ambiguity when he retweeted an article by Senator Hawley in the red-brown publication Compact<\/em> entitled \u201cThe Promise of Pro-Labor Conservatism.\u201d Hawley writes, \u201cThe C-suite long ago sold out the United States, shuttering factories in the homeland and gutting American jobs, while using the profits to push diversity, equity, and inclusion and the religion of the trans flag.\u201d O\u2019Brien shared the article with the caption, \u201c@HawleyMO is 100% on point.\u201d Chris Fuentes, National President of the Teamsters LGBTQ+ Caucus, publicly supported O\u2019Brien\u2019s appearance at the RNC but later sent an email questioning the support of Hawley\u2019s piece. O\u2019Brien backpedaled unconvincingly<\/a>, \u201cMy resharing of the article was meant to further highlight the call for bipartisan labor reform and was in no way intended to support negative criticism of social issues.\u201d (O\u2019Brien must have taken some C-Suite HR classes.)<\/p>\n

A rogue IBT staffer posted from the Teamsters twitter account, \u201cUnions gain nothing from endorsing the racist, misogynistic, and anti-trans politics of the far right, no matter how much people like Senator Hawley attempt to tether such bigotry to a cynical pro-labor message. The message this sends to Teamsters of color, Teamster women, and LGBTQ Teamsters is that they are not welcome in the union unless they surrender their identity to a new kind of anti-woke unionism. You don\u2019t unite a diverse working class by scoffing at its diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A now deleted post on \u201cX\u201d (formerly known as Twitter) from the Teamster\u2019s official social media account. July 17, 2024, 1:44 a.m.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More recently, anti-genocide protests erupted in DC over a state visit by Israel\u2019s Benjamin Netanyahu. Some burned U.S.flags; others tagged pro-Hamas slogans on monuments. Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris wrote a statement denouncing<\/a> the protests. O\u2019Brien went to twitter posting an image of an American flag, \u201cAlways will defend\u2026Never Disrespect\u2026Never desecrate\u2026#usagainsteverybody\u201d<\/p>\n

The labor movement\u2019s reaction to O\u2019Brien has been overwhelmingly negative<\/a>. The Real News titled their coverage, \u201cEverybody Hates Sean<\/a>.\u201d Labor Notes\u2019 Alexandra Bradbury wrote an opinion piece<\/a>, \u201cO\u2019Brien\u2019s speech played into Republicans\u2019 Phony Pro-Worker Rebrand\u201d. John Palmer, a Teamsters Vice President who has announced his intent to run against O\u2019Brien<\/a> in 2026, wrote,<\/p>\n

A speaking engagement at the Republican National Convention by Teamsters President Sean O\u2019Brien, regardless of the message, only normalizes and makes the most anti-union party and president I\u2019ve seen in my lifetime seem palatable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One rank and file Teamster expressed the common sense among many<\/a> sympathetic to the speech: \u201c…he kind of Trojan horse\u2019d in there and dropped a labor speech on primetime TV in front of millions of viewers\u2026he had to play the game, but when\u2026for the last two thirds of the speech, he dropped some shit, he dropped some stuff people needed to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

One event, many interpretations. Was O\u2019Brien duped? Is he a visionary reaching out across the aisle where others have been too scared to do it? Or a cunning fox who outwitted the RNC on behalf of workers? Everyone wants an answer to rationalize the actions of a top union official that has been hailed as a leading reformer and militant. In truth, right-wing politics are consistent with O\u2019Brien\u2019s record<\/a>, and the RNC was the logical next step of the path he\u2019s been on for some time.<\/p>\n

The record pre-2021<\/h4>\n

O\u2019Brien has been part of the IBT\u2019s International Executive Board (IEB) since 2011, when he was elected as part of the Hoffa-Hall slate (\u201cthe Old Guard\u201d). O\u2019Brien was elected the principal officer of Local 25 in Boston, a Local that Boston Magazine describes<\/a> as a pariah of the area labor movement: \u201cThe union had ties to Whitey Bulger\u2019s Winter Hill Gang; one of its former presidents spent time behind bars; its rank-and-file members have been convicted of crimes ranging from armed truck robbery to embezzlement.\u201d Teamster historian Joe Allen notes<\/a>,<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien ran for local office in 2006 on \u2026a \u201cconservative pitch.\u201d \u201cWe needed to go back to our old-school values,\u201d O\u2019Brien exclaimed. \u201cGo back to what made us successful.\u201d \u201cOld-school values\u201d is a loaded phrase in Teamster politics, harkening back to the days of mob control and violence with a heavy dose of nostalgia for a \u201cstrong leader.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

O\u2019Brien\u2019s national reputation had been characterized by thuggish behavior of threatening members<\/a> (leading to his suspension in 2013); racist and sexist extortion<\/a> of the Top Chef<\/em> crew<\/a> in Boston in 2014 (\u201cWe\u2019re gonna bash that pretty face in, you fucking whore\u201d, one Local 25 member said to Padma Lakshmi) to which O\u2019Brien\u2019s #2, Mark Harrington, pled guilty; and harassment of union dissidents at IBT Conventions in 2011 and 2016, which led to charges that were ultimately dismissed. In 2018, O\u2019Brien\u2019s Local 25 endorsed Massachusetts Republican Gubernatorial<\/a> candidate Charlie Baker. This all sounds very much like the O\u2019Brien we saw at the RNC.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until late 2018 that O\u2019Brien\u2019s image was rehabilitated, thanks, in no small part, to Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). In 2016, Fred Zuckerman came within a few thousand votes of unseating James R. Hoffa for IBT General President, winning the Central and Southern regions. Teamsters United\u2019s slate won roughly half the seats on the IEB. TDU largely ran the campaign out of its offices: one phone rang for TDU, and the next one rang for Teamsters United. TDU was ready for a repeat election in 2021, with fresh enthusiasm after coming so close to victory.<\/p>\n