Teamsters President Sean O’Brien Says Union Is “Not Beholden To Anyone Or Any Party” In Historic RNC Speech

deadline.com:

“Today, the Teamsters are here to say we are not beholden to anyone or any party,” Teamsters International President said to the crowd at the Republican National Convention on Monday night.

O’Brien made history as the first Teamster ever to speak at the convention. In his lengthy, 16-minute speech, the Teamsters president praised former President Donald Trump for opening the doors to the RNC to the union. “I don’t care about getting criticized,” he insisted, somewhat acknowledging the union’s long track record of Democratic support and the blow back he had already received for accepting the RNC’s invitation. “The Teamsters and the GOP may not agree on many issues, but a growing group has shown the courage to sit down and consider points of view that aren’t funded by big money think tanks,” he continued, vowing to “create an agenda and work with a bipartisan coalition ready to accomplish something real for the American worker.” Rather than outright throw Teamsters’ support behind the Republican Party, O’Brien tried to find a middle ground.

While he praised several GOP leaders, including Senator Josh Hawley, his main message to the audience was that union support is bipartisan. “Remember, elites have no party.

Elites have no nation,” he said. “Their loyalty is to the balance sheet and the stock price at the expense of the American worker.” He added: “The Teamsters are not interested if you have a D, R or an I next to your name.