Labor leaders are uncommon sights at Republican conventions, and Sean O’Brien used his moment to lace into corporate America. But he also praised the former president.
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Sean O’Brien’s praise of former President Donald J. Trump on Monday will not sit well with some leaders of his 1.3 million-member union.
Sean O’Brien closed the first night of the Republican National Convention with an address that was decidedly not the usual Republican fare, which he called attention to by telling the crowd in Milwaukee that he was the first president of the Teamsters union to address such a gathering.
Mr. O’Brien acknowledged at the outset that his presence had roiled his union, angered many on the left and sparked protests from anti-union voices on the right. He had asked for invitations to address the conventions of both parties, and he has not yet received a response from the Democrats, who gather next month.
His praise of former President Donald J. Trump — “In light of what happened to him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough S.O.B.,” Mr. O’Brien said — will not sit well with some leaders of his 1.3 million-member union. Nor will his praise for some other Republicans, including Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri and Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York.
But the Teamsters leader also laced into corporate America for having what he called no allegiance to the United States. He lamented that “Americans vote for a union but can’t get a union contract,” and he mourned workers who are fired for labor organizing.
“That is economic terrorism at its worst,” Mr. O’Brien said — rhetoric not usually heard in the halls of a Republican convention.
At first Mr. O’Brien’s remarks were well-received, particularly as he talked about the criticism he would receive from Democrats for speaking at the convention. But as he continued to speak, the audience fell largely quiet, a marked contrast to the enthusiastic applause and cheers for other speakers.
A few moments that were clearly intended as applause lines were greeted with just a few claps or outright silence. And as the speech went on, some in the auditorium turned away from Mr. O’Brien to look instead at Mr. Trump, who was seated on a riser toward the back of the room.
Many in organized labor say Mr. Trump was no friend of labor as president, while President Biden has done pretty much all the unions of asked for, including signing into law a more than $30 billion bailout for the Teamsters’ embattled pension fund.
One rank-and-file Teamster responded to the address on social media: “A true Teamster Leader would not be at the Republican National Convention under any circumstances,” wrote Keith Gleason, a Chicago member. “Biden helped save our pensions, not Trump.”
Jonathan Weisman is a politics writer, covering campaigns with an emphasis on economic and labor policy. He is based in Chicago. More about Jonathan Weisman
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Source: nytimes.com
