This week, Wisconsin’s Teamsters Joint Council 39 threw its support behind Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, lauding the Vice President for working with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act, which has saved the pensions of over a million workers and retirees to date, and for being part of “the most pro-union administration ever.” Wisconsin Teamsters joined councils across the nation collectively representing one million Teamsters in endorsing Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz for their strong record supporting American union workers.
Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has always put workers first and held corporations accountable, and has walked with workers on the picket line. As Attorney General, she made cracking down on wage theft a priority. As part of the most pro-union administration in history, she oversaw the creation of millions of good-paying union jobs and led the White House’s labor task force dedicated to organizing and empowering workers.
It’s a stark contrast from Donald Trump, who created new incentives for companies to ship jobs overseas, stacked his administration with anti-union billionaires, and undermined labor organizing. Now, his extreme Project 2025 agenda would allow employers to stop paying many workers overtime, slash labor and workplace protections, and raise taxes on working families by nearly $4,000 a year.
On the airwaves:
Reporter: “So why are Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the right ticket for this year?”
Teamsters Joint Council 39 President Bill Carroll: “For us it’s an easy choice. In Wisconsin, as you know, we have suffered over the last 15 years with an onslaught of anti-worker legislation […] All of that has been very damaging to Wisconsin. So for us, the Republican ticket is not something that we want to consider. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz represent support for working families and organized labor. The Trump ticket does not. Ex-President Trump had 4 years to help us with the pension crisis and he sat on his hands and did nothing but talk like he normally does.”
Teamsters Joint Council 39 President Bill Carroll: “It was a very clear choice for us locally […] the leadership of our local Joint Council, based on what we’ve experienced on the state level and federal level believe that Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will protect our interests more effectively […] As far as Teamsters in Wisconsin goes and what we’ve experienced from our state legislature from the past 15 years, it makes it very clear which political party supports working families and organized labor.”
Reporter: “Endorsing Vice President Harris was a quote – ‘no brainer’ – unquote – for Bill Carroll, the president of the Teamsters Joint Council 39 which represents the approximate 15,000 Wisconsin Teamsters.”
Teamsters Joint Council 39 President Bill Carroll: “Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, represent pro-family, pro-labor, pro-working class, and their opponent does not. It’s as simple as that.”
Reporter: “Bill Carroll is president of the Milwaukee-based Teamsters Joint Council 39 executive board, which unanimously endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket, joining local chapters in other battleground states, including Michigan and Nevada.”
Teamsters Joint Council 39 President Bill Carroll: “To us, really it was a no-brainer […] When Vice President Harris and President Biden got in office, they got to work on that issue immediately and they provided relief for millions of retirees [with the Butch Lewis Act]. That’s probably the largest issue.”
Reporter: […] “Wisconsin teamsters did throw their support behind Harris. Their president Bill Carroll believes Harris can persuade working class voters.”
Teamsters Joint Council 39 President Bill Carroll: “The facts just have to get out. Vice President Kamala Harris, we’re confident she’s going to be as much of a fighter as President Biden has.”
Reporter: “Teamsters Joint Council 32 and 39 released these statements endorsing Harris. The Joint Councils represent Teamster workers in several Midwestern states, including Wisconsin. Bill Carroll is the president of Joint Council 39. A straw poll of his Local earlier this year found majority support for President Joe Biden when he was the presumptive Democratic nominee. Carroll says Wisconsin politics makes Teamsters in the Badger State different from membership in the broader union.”
Bill Carroll: “You know, the Wisconsin experience is a little bit different than a lot of the rest of the country. We’ve been subjected to a very protracted and sustained attack from our state legislature. You know, outlawing effective collective bargaining for public sector workers, ‘right to work.’”
Reporter: “A number of local Teamsters unions in key swing states like here in Wisconsin, and Milwaukee, announcing they’re backing an endorsement of the Harris campaign.”
Online:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Teamsters endorse Harris, breaking from national union
[Ricardo Torres, 9/19/24]
Teamsters Joint Council 39 based in Milwaukee is breaking from the national organization and is endorsing Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for vice president.
The local union made the announcement Wednesday, and president of Joint Council 39 Bill Carrol said as vice president for President Joe Biden, Harris has been part of “the most pro-union administration ever.”
“As vice president of the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris worked with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over a million retirees to date,” Carroll said.
“As president, Kamala Harris will build on those efforts and work with Congress to pass the PRO Act, ending some of the most egregious union busting tactics once and for all. In contrast, Donald Trump tried to gut workers.”
Spectrum News 1: Wisconsin Teamsters calls Harris endorsement a ‘no-brainer’ as national union declines to back either candidate for president
[Anthony DaBruzzi, 9/19/24]
Bill Carroll, who serves as president of the Milwaukee-based Teamsters Joint Council 39 Executive Board, which unanimously endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket, called the decision a “no-brainer” as Wisconsin joined local chapters in other battleground states, including Michigan and Nevada.
WKOW: Wisconsin Teamsters endorse Harris, break with national leadership
[JT Cestkowski, 9/19/24]
Joint Councils 32 and 39 represent Teamster unions across the Midwest, including several Wisconsin-based locals. The organizations each sent press releases Wednesday announcing their endorsement of Harris, just hours after the Teamsters’ national leadership said it would not back any candidate in the race. […]
“Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz are proven champions for Union workers,” the statement from Joint Council 32 said. The council’s membership includes several thousand Wisconsinites represented by Teamsters Local 120.
Joint Council 39 is based in Milwaukee. Its president, Bill Carroll, spoke to 27 News from Washington, D.C., where he and other Teamster leaders were meeting.
“The Wisconsin experience is a little bit different than a lot of the rest of the country,” he said, justifying why Joint Council 39’s endorsement decision differed from national leadership. “We’ve been subjected to a very protracted and sustained attack from our state legislature, outlawing effective collective bargaining for public sector workers, right to work, the elimination and outlawing of prevailing wage laws at the state municipal level, driving wages down in that industry.”
WSAW: Local Teamsters endorse the Democrat ticket despite polls, refusal by national union
[Sloane Wick, 9/19/24]
Endorsing Vice President Harris was a “no brainer” for Bill Carroll, the president of the Teamsters Joint Council 39 which represents the approximate 15,000 Wisconsin Teamsters.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represent pro-family, pro-labor, pro-working class, and their opponent does not. It’s as simple as that,” he said.
Racine County Eye: Wisconsin Teamsters endorse Harris for president while national organization declines to back either candidate
[Heather Asiyanbi and Associated Press, 9/19/24]
While the International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, Wisconsin Teamsters announced they’re throwing their support behind Harris.
“As Vice President of the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris worked with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over a million retirees to date,” said Bill Carroll, president of Teamsters Joint Council 39 in a written statement sent to media “As President, Kamala Harris will build on those efforts and work with Congress to pass the PRO Act, ending some of the most egregious union-busting tactics once and for all.”
The PRO Act “makes union organizing and bargaining easier while imposing substantially heavier penalties on lawbreaking companies,” according to the American Bar Association.
[Aaron Navarro, 9/19/24]
After the Teamsters general executive board announced it would not endorse, several joint councils representing most active and retired Teamsters in the battleground states of Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin came out in support of Harris.
“As Vice President of the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris worked with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over a million retirees to date,” said Bill Carroll, President of Teamsters Joint Council 39, in Wisconsin. “This November we will work with millions of union workers across the country to defeat Donald Trump once again.”
