NEWNow you can listen to articles from a reputable news source!
During testimony before Congress, union leader Sean O’Brien made it clear where the International Brotherhood of Teamsters stands on tariffs.
Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio praised O’Brien’s commitment to policies that support a strong middle class in America.
“I believe you are genuine in your efforts to promote a thriving middle class,” Moreno stated, to which O’Brien agreed.
“I may have been called a self-promoting union boss, but I am just a truck driver from a middle-class family who values and supports the middle class,” O’Brien shared with the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation.
“Our union’s position on tariffs is no secret.”
O’Brien faced criticism for speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention and has been more willing than other union leaders to engage with the Trump administration.
During the hearing, he acknowledged concerns about the impact of Trump’s tariff policies on American consumers.
He criticized the 1993 NAFTA agreement, blaming it for the loss of jobs to other countries.
“We used to have a strong manufacturing industry in this country, but bad trade deals caused us to lose that,” O’Brien stated.
O’Brien also highlighted the need for corporate America to take responsibility for any negative effects of the tariffs.
“CEOs need to prioritize their workers over Wall Street and avoid passing on costs to consumers,” he emphasized.
The Teamsters, representing UPS workers as one of their largest groups, have also expressed concerns about foreign drivers taking CDL jobs without proper English proficiency or knowledge of U.S. laws.
In April, Trump implemented strict English proficiency standards for CDL drivers, a move that Moreno questioned O’Brien about.
As an immigrant from Colombia, Moreno asked O’Brien about the dangers of having English-illiterate drivers on American roads.
“It’s very concerning. Many trucking companies were recruiting foreign drivers and putting them on the roads without proper language skills,” O’Brien expressed.
He suggested a solution where Mexican truck drivers drop their trailers at the U.S. border for American drivers to complete the trips.
