Teamsters union's $45,000 RNC donation exposes divisions among members
WASHINGTON — The Teamsters’ political action committee broke decades of precedent last month when the union leadership voted to approve a $45,000 donation to the Republican National Committee’s convention fund. In recent years, Teamsters donations have been given primarily to Democrats.
WASHINGTON — The Teamsters’ political action committee broke decades of precedent last month when the union leadership voted to approve a $45,000 donation to the Republican National Committee’s convention fund.
In recent years, Teamsters donations have been given primarily to Democrats. This year's donation to the RNC convention fund marked the labor union's pivot to large donations to both parties, though the vast majority of donations still flow to liberals.
The January vote to approve the donation is igniting frustration among some members, who in interviews with NBC News were blunt in expressing their disapproval of the move: "Disgusting." "Disheartening." "Playing footsie."
NBC News spoke with 11 Teamsters members about the contribution, which highlighted a rift in membership about politics and about former President Donald Trump in particular. Though some celebrated the move, others are considering pausing their contributions to DRIVE, the Teamsters PAC. Critics of the donation say they refuse to contribute funds if they will eventually go to support Republicans who hold views that they believe are antithetical to their union goals.
The last time the 1.3 million-person labor union participated in both parties’ conventions was in 2000, when George W. Bush accepted his party’s nomination at the convention in Philadelphia, according to a Teamsters spokesperson. DRIVE is nonpartisan, according to the union's website, and stands for Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education.
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