A Teamster posted images of a fund raising letter they received from President Sean O’Brien on r/Union (warning: reddit link).
In the letter, Sean O’Brien claims that Trump is creating a new ‘Worker First’ republican party, and implores the reader to donate as much as they can to the Teamster ‘TEAM Fund’, which will be used to:
- Support Trump’s ‘Pro-Worker’ initiatives, like ‘strategic’ tariffs
- Financially back incumbent ‘pro-worker’ republican candidates for the House and Senate
- Identify pro-labor legislatures in key states and support their campaigns
Sean then introduces the next part of the letter; a message from Josh Hawley, a Christian Nationalist and Trump loyalist state senator who fist pumped the Jan 6th rioters in support.
In the letter Hawley claims Trump has eliminated the “country club elites and business tycoons” from the republican party, as well as ending the “Woke DEI agenda”.
If there was ever any doubt about O’Brien, he’s certainly showing his true colors now, bending the knee to the fascists in power and even going so far as to fund raise for them.
The letter itself:
“When they called me a traitor, I knew I was on the right track.”
Motherfucker, what? So your goal was to piss your members off enough to accuse you of working for the enemy? Why? What kind of fucked up moon logic is that shit?
When the people I serve told me I was doing a bad job, that’s when I knew I was doing a good job.
Mind numbing
“TheAmerican ranchers don’t understand how good they have it” energy
Best* beef in the world!
* Applies only to beef produced under sanitary conditions that no sane country would ever allow
Fucking traitor. The mental gymnastics he goes through to justify siding with trump to help “blue collar workers” what a fucking joke
wealthy elite
President is a billionaire
Country Club elites and business tycoons
President literally owns a country club and had a TV show due to his “business empire”
It’s a bit out of date, but it gets the point across
Claiming trump and his ilk are pro worker is insane
They put in so much effort to capture unions.
Somehow successfully too. Like all you have to do is pay attention to what’s going on. These people truly live in a separate reality.
Propaganda works. They’re firehosed with it day and night.
Almost like a certain set people under Mussolini and Hitler…
Surely it’s just coincidence it’s happening a century later.
We’ve endorsed…Regan
Ah yes, the guy who fired 11000 striking members of PATCO. Great guy to invoke as turning out great for unions.
I kind of think it’s been official for longer than that, but it certainly undeniable. This guy is pulling a right-wing grifter turn and it’s extremely obvious. I’m sad that so many people are falling for it, but they’re getting taken and he’s going to laugh all the way to the bank.
I’ve worked in three union shops in my life. The majority consistently vote against their own interests. I don’t think this guy is grifting; I think he’s got a ton of Teamsters telling him this is what they want.
I work in a teamsters shop, and the amount of rightwing absolutely bonkers shit is way higher than I’d like. I blame shitty news and shitty podcasts for brainwashing the masses. It’d be nice if the masses stopped for even 10sec to think about the shit they’re hearing though.
60% of Teamsters voted for Trump in the last election. Unfortunately a tremendous number of their membership is likely only in the union for personal benefit, and do not understand whatsoever class conflict or have enough altruism to see or care about the bigger picture, and are easily exploited via culture war tactics.
Be sure to participate in any elections to replace O’Brien (I guess Richard Hooker’s Fearless Slate is one of the better options? I’m not a Teamster, so you’ll have to research further), and consider Dual-Carding with the IWW if you can.
I’m also a Teamster (school bus driver). 90% or more of my colleagues are trumpers and it sucks. Ironically, in my district drivers do not have to join the union because a very liberal leftist old Democrat colleague successfully sued the district for the right not to join (I still don’t know why he did this, he’s not been able to explain it coherently). Most of the drivers who haven’t joined the union are anti-trump. If you want me to explain this state of affairs, I can’t.
Ally with the people who never worked a day in their life, it’s a bold move, Cotton.
Republican strategists figured out neither party is the worker’s party, so in order to be the party workers vote for, you just have to say you’re the party for workers the most.
And since Democrats barely know how to interact with the public, it works.
This goes back to how Nixon exploited the Hard Hat Riot. Working class union men started to resent leftist anti-war college students due to their negative stance on veterans. The Hard Hats were motivated by a simplistic patriotism for veterans, since many of them had family in the armed forces.
Republicans saw an opportunity to exploit that cultural difference, and began to pretend to care about unions while shitting on the new left to sway the more conservative unions to switching.
Democrats enabled this shift by being neoliberal corporatists with a pinch of welfare. Corporate lobby money is too good to resist for them.
The new flavor is to appeal to racist protectionism and the conservative culture war to win over conservative unions.
60% of Teamster membership voted for Trump in the last election, making them the most susceptible to being tempted and destroyed by republicans in sheep’s clothing. O’Brien is only too willing to facilitate that destruction, and ultimately will dance to whatever tune will keep him elected, which in this case is appealing to the conservative values of 60% of his base. Slugs voting for Salt.
And since Democrats barely know how to interact with the public, it works.
they’re feckless, but honestly: who has a solution to this problem? It’s gish governance - they trot out a new, more horrible, more inconceivable lie every day so there’s never a pushback on the madness because every day is a new emergency.
sure, if we had checks and balances this could be fought, but the gop is literally bought and sold.
Reactionary nonsense from a class traitor.
Quick transcript of O'Brien's letter for better accessibility.
When they called me a traitor, I knew I was on the right track. That probably sounds crazy but let me explain.
Last summer, President Donald Trump opened the doors to the Republican National Convention and invited me to speak. I immediately agreed, but in doing so, it created a firestorm of political unrest on the Left and Right.
On the Right, they demanded President Trump take back the invitation. On the Left, they called me a “traitor.” However, I had my reasons.
You see, I spend a ton of time traveling all across this country meeting with Teamster members every week. You know what I see? An American worker being taken for granted. Workers are being sold out to big banks, big tech, corporate conglomerates, and the wealthy elite. And I’m not the only one who sees this.
We all know how Washington is run. Working people have no chance of winning this fight on their own. We need ALLIES. And that is why I agreed to be the first Teamster in our 121-year history to address the Republican Convention.
The Teamsters of today are not beholden to anyone or any party. We can’t afford to be; being so limited would be foolish. Instead, we’re willing to work with a bipartisan coalition to accomplish something real for the American worker.
That bipartisan nature is also reflected in our history. We’ve endorsed Republican presidential candidates in the past, including Nixon, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
And bipartisanship is reflected in the make-up of the Teamsters as a whole. The fact is, over half of our members are registered Republicans or Independents who regularly vote Republican. At the end of the day, the Teamsters are not interested in whether you have an R, D, or an I next to your name as your Party affiliation. We only want to know one thing: what are you doing to help American workers. Which is why it is encouraging to see more elected Republicans working with us on pro-worker issues.
Not long ago, the Teamsters reached out to eight Republican senators who stood up for railroad Teamsters over our fight for paid sick leave. Josh Hawley was one of them.
After that, Josh and I started talking. Senator Hawley changed his position on national right to work.
Then we started walking. Senator Hawley walked a Teamsters picket line in St. Louis and a UAW picket line in Wentzville, Missouri. Senator Hawley has shown he is not willing to accept the pillaging of working people’s pocketbooks by mega-corporations, globalist CEOs, their lawyers and apologists. He’s standing up and standing strong with workers and their unions. Josh Hawley is proof that Republican elected officials and working people can link arms and join in common cause.
So are Vice President J.D. Vance, Senator Roger Marshall, and Representatives Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler, Brian Fitzpatrick and more.
This is the tip of the iceberg. This group is expanding and putting fear into those who have monopolized the GOP from the top down. We are at an inflection point where the Republican Party is changing. Where it was once a bastion of Country Club elites and business tycoons, under leaders like President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Senator Hawley, it is becoming more a party of workers than it ever has been.
This presents a great opportunity for Teamsters. That is why I am writing to ask for your help today. I urgently need your support for the TEAM Fund today. I hope you will consider contributing at least $20.25 to help us identify and support more pro-worker Republican candidates in 2025.
You probably know that the TEAM Fund is the Teamsters’ 527 political account. It supports the Teamsters’ political program, ensuring elected officials in Washington and at the state and local levels advocate for the best interests of our nation’s working families, especially the Teamsters.
But you may not know that, among labor unions, we are the Number One supporter of Republican candidates. But we need to increase this support at this crucial juncture.
That is why I hope you can make a special gift of $35, $50, $100, or even $250 to TEAM Fund today.
As control of Congress continues to shift between Republicans and Democrats in nearly every recent election, bipartisan friendships are more crucial than ever. As I mentioned earlier, this also reflects the bipartisan composition of Teamster membership.
Although the Teamsters and Republicans may not agree on all a growing group has shown the courage to sit down and consider our point of view.
The fact is many Republican elected officials are starting to recognize the old knee-jerk reactions to unions – the outdated bullshit that unions destroy American companies – is wrong.
We need our Republican and conservative Teamsters to step up and help ensure we have the resources in the TEAM Fund to support these emerging pro-worker Republicans so we can secure a seat at the table, regardless of who is in charge.
Specifically, with your financial support, our TEAM Fund will:
- Support President Trump’s pro-worker initiatives like strategic tariffs to put American workers first, make it easier for companies to remain in the U.S., and appoint the most pro-labor Republican Secretary of Labor in history.
- Back incumbent pro-worker Republicans in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
- Identify pro-labor state legislators in key states and support their campaigns.
This is a watershed moment. Republican Party leaders from President Trump to Senator Hawley to House Members like Nicole Malliotakis are open to listening to workers’ concerns and meeting with Labor to put American workers first.
We can seize this moment and build bipartisan support for our labor agenda. Having a strong, well-financed TEAM Fund is a key component of this effort.
That’s why I hope you will join me today. Send a personal contribution of $20.25 as a symbol of your support for this important initiative. If you can do even more, consider making a generous gift of $50, $75, $100, or $250 today.
And, as an added incentive, if you do send a gift of $50 or more, TEAM Fund will send you a special t-shirt as a “Thank You” for your generous support!
Whatever you decide, please send your check or use your credit card to give right away. President Trump wants to Make America Great Again. If we’re going to do it, it is going to take the American worker to get it done – especially our 1.3 million Teamsters who move America.
It’s never been a question. Teamsters love this country. I love this country, and I know you do, too. So let’s do this. Join me and join the TEAM Fund today.
Many thanks for considering my request.
Fraternally,
Sean O’Brien
President
International Brotherhood of TeamstersP.S. When I told Senator Hawley that I was writing to you about the TEAM Fund, he asked if he could include a special note to you as well.
Please take a moment to read Josh’s note and hear what he has to say about how the Republican Party is changing and putting the American worker first.
Then join us in support of the TEAM Fund by sending your gift of $20.25, $35, $50, $75, $100, or $250
Thank you!
I’ve skipped Hawley’s addendum, but I’d be happy to transcribe it if useful to anyone.
Cheers for going to the effort of transcribing that!
we’re willing to work with a bipartisan coalition to accomplish something real for the American worker
Laudable.
Republican elected officials and working people can link arms and join in common cause
But hopelessly naive, if it’s even genuine at all.
I hope you can make a special gift of $35, $50, $100, or even $250 to TEAM Fund today
Ah, there we go.
(Over, please) (Next page, please)
Does he think the people reading this have never dealt with multi-page publications before?
When I first saw it, I thought it was fake. The more you look into it, the more it seems like he was bought off or blackmailed. He keeps saying “bipartisan,” but only mentions Republican names.
2024 United States presidential election
On July 15, 2024, O’Brien became the first leader of the IBT ever to speak at a Republican National Convention, where he gave a speech encouraging delegates to respect American labor in spite of differing political allegiances. According to a Teamsters spokesperson, O’Brien also requested to speak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. A Teamsters spokesperson said the DNC never responded to O’Brien’s request for a speaker slot at the Democratic convention.[17] Despite historical affiliations with the Democratic Party, the Teamsters decided not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election after an internal poll revealed that 60% of their members supported Trump.[18] After this, joint councils for the states of Washington, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin individually endorsed Harris.[19]
There is a millions large working class and that guy looked to the 800 oligarchs for allies.
Teamsters tends to be the only union with viability in deep red culture areas of the country. If the union is Teamsters, usually the alternative is no union. I always try to calibrate for the fact they’re usually representing some deeply red workers in deeply red areas of the country. The message is at very least pro-worker and corporation-critical.
But even so Hawley isn’t exactly the fuckin’ guy, unless maybe this is a mailing from within Missouri or something.
Source: former Teamster in a deep red district of a deep blue state.
Ultimately though there has really got to be better alternatives for unions to start backing, even in the most right-wing pockets of the country. Just pick or find an independent that isn’t dogshit Sean.
The military teaches you leadership is convincing others to accomplish what they other wise would have not. Sorry but this letter is not what a union leader should be sending, regardless of who he represents.
