'Moment of shame': Teamsters president ripped for GOP convention speech

During the opening night of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, one of the speakers was Teamsters President Sean O'Brien. But unlike the other speakers — who ranged from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) — O'Brien did not endorse GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Rather, O'Brien spoke in general terms and called for a strengthening of the labor movement in the United States.

O'Brien told the crowd, "It's an honor to be the first Teamster (in) our 121-year history to address The Republican National Convention…. Labor law must be reformed. Americans vote for a union, but can never get a union contract."

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Some users of X, formerly Twitter, are highly critical of O'Brien for speaking at that convention.

Journalist/author David Simon, on July 16, tweeted, "Been a union man forty-one years. All of my working life. Pride and solidarity. Never experienced a single moment of shame, and when such a moment came, I never thought a Teamster would deliver it."

Author W. Steven Chandler posted, "It was a teamster leader like most of the leaders they aren't real teamsters they think they are better."

The Washington Post's Jeff Stein wrote, "At the RNC, Teamsters president Sean O'Brien is characterizing both parties as ambivalent about unions with room to improve There are 48 Senate sponsors of the PRO Act They all caucus with the Democratic Party Zero are Republicans."

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MeidasTouch's Fred Wellman noted President Joe Biden's pro-union record, tweeting, "What a bizarre pitch. He literally almost got in a fight with a Republican member of Congress. Biden walked the picket line with the UAW."

The Dworkin Report's Scott Dworkin posted, "The GOP acted like it was pro-union last night—they are actually anti-union, anti-worker, against raising the minimum wage, and fight regulations that make workers safe on the job. Pathetic attempt, but no one is buying it…. What a sick joke."

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