The Teamsters Fearless Slate Takes On Sean O’Brien

The Teamsters’ November 2026 leadership elections will feature a serious challenge to General President Sean O’Brien from the Fearless slate — Richard Hooker Jr. for President and John Palmer for Secretary-Treasurer. The dispute reflects deep tensions inside one of the most consequential unions in America.

O’Brien’s tenure has been defined by an unusual public alignment with the Trump administration and Republican politicians. As critics in the slate and elsewhere have catalogued:

* O’Brien spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

* The Teamsters endorsed Trump’s pick for Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer (who later told the Senate she no longer supports the section of the PRO Act weakening state right-to-work laws).

* The union endorsed Greg Abbott in Texas.

* O’Brien has shared and promoted material from Senator Josh Hawley and other Republican figures with mixed records on labor.

The Fearless slate has plenty of bones to pick with the current Teamsters leadership:

* No PRO Act passage.

* Continued Trump and Vance support.

* No repeal of right-to-work laws.

* No federal help organizing Amazon, which still refuses to bargain with NYC Amazon Teamsters.

* A former UPS and Amazon safety compliance officer appointed to head OSHA.

* Union-busting lawyer Crystal Carey confirmed as NLRB General Counsel.

* Federal employee unions decertified under “national security” grounds.

* ICE showing up at Teamsters picket lines.

* The UPS contract “coming apart amidst dozens of hub closings and tens of thousands of layoffs.”

Hooker — 26 years a Teamster, currently secretary-treasurer of Local 623 in Philadelphia — calls O’Brien’s behavior “self-service.” Palmer — 38 years a Teamster and currently a vice president at large — argues the union has slipped into “corporate union mentality” and abandoned its broader labor-movement coalition.

For employers, this internal Teamsters dispute matters because:

1. Leadership changes affect bargaining culture. A Fearless slate victory would shift Teamsters strategy materially — likely more aggressive on Amazon, more confrontational on UPS contract enforcement, more aligned with the broader AFL-CIO coalition.

2. The alignment-with-MAGA strategy is being tested. Whether labor leaders can extract genuine pro-worker policy from a politically hostile administration is an empirical question the Fearless slate is putting to a vote.

3. The ballot timing matters. Counting happens in November 2026 — same election cycle as the midterms. Whatever the outcome, the campaign itself will reshape conversation about labor’s political strategy.

Is O’Brien’s “work with whoever’s in power” approach the right one, or has it cost the Teamsters more than it gained?