Teamsters to meet with VP Harris on Sept. 16, union says

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris will meet with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Sept. 16 as the union considers a potential presidential endorsement, the union said Thursday.

Harris, the U.S. vice president who is in a tight race for the White House with Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election, will meet members and leaders at the union's headquarters after the Teamsters held a similar roundtable with Trump, the union said.

Harris' campaign said last month that she planned to meet with the union but declined comment on Thursday.

"We look forward to having a conversation on the direction of the country and the issues that matter to working people,” Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said.

The Teamsters represent over 1 million workers across industries including transport and logistics. O'Brien spoke to the Republican National Convention in July but recently criticized Trump for suggesting that workers who go on strike could be fired.

Most major unions have endorsed Harris, including the United Auto Workers union.

The AFL-CIO, which represents 60 unions and 12.5 million workers, endorsed Harris in July.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said last month that union members would make the difference in the 2024 presidential election in closely contested states.

"We are a force to be reckoned with," Shuler said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul and Deepa Babington)