With only weeks to go until the November election, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), a labor union representing more than 300,000 firefighters and emergency responders across the United States, announced on Oct. 3 that it would not endorse a candidate in the presidential race.
“Over the past year, the IAFF took unprecedented steps to hear our members’ views on the candidates and the policy issues that matter most to them,” Kelly said.
“As we have over our 106-year history, the IAFF will continue its work to improve the lives of fire fighters and their families,” he continued. “The IAFF Executive Board determined that we are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder.”
The IAFF encouraged its members to “get out and make their voices heard” in the upcoming election.
Harris also spoke at a separate IAFF legislative conference in Washington, in March, before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Harris’s campaign has not yet commented on the IAFF’s decision. The Epoch Times contacted a campaign spokesperson for comment.
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in September that neither major candidate was able to make “serious commitments” to the union to “ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business.”
“We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries—and to honor our members’ right to strike—but were unable to secure those pledges,” O’Brien said.
With roughly 1.3 million members across trucking and related industries, Teamsters is one of the largest unions in the United States.
September’s announcement marked the first time since 1966 that the union has declined to issue a presidential endorsement.
