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In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a typical fall morning took a political turn as a UPS worker arrived for his shift. Sporting the familiar brown uniform, the worker was handed campaign literature endorsing Kamala Harris for president by fellow Teamsters. His reaction was not one of anger toward the union members; instead, it was fueled by years of pent-up frustration against past Republican actions, notably the 2011 policies of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, which significantly diminished union strength in the state. The worker also lamented broken promises by former President Donald Trump to boost local jobs through initiatives like the Foxconn project, which never materialized.

"This is great," he said, holding up the campaign materials and expressing disbelief that any union member would support Trump, given the Republican track record on labor issues. The interaction was just one of many taking place at the UPS facility, highlighting the grassroots efforts of Harris supporters among union members.

The broader strategy of the Harris campaign to reach white working-class voters—who a recent NBC News national poll indicated heavily favor Trump—includes peer-to-peer organizing efforts like these. Despite national polls reflecting a significant lead for Trump among white voters, the Harris campaign is meticulously courting key demographics in battleground states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, aiming to shift support in their favor as the November 5 election approaches.

Josh Orton, Harris' senior adviser for labor, emphasized the importance of trust and factuality in these peer-to-peer conversations, contrasting them with what he described as less effective top-down approaches like those allegedly attempted by Elon Musk. Local union support remains strong for Harris, even though the national Teamsters union opted not to endorse her, a significant departure from their previous support for President Joe Biden in 2020. Nonetheless, many local Teamsters chapters have openly supported Harris, contributing to her campaign's claims of backing from 1.5 million Teamsters nationwide.

Trump’s campaign remains assertive, with spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt crediting Trump for the lack of a national endorsement from the Teamsters, claiming the endorsement had been effectively neutralized. Leavitt also pointed to Trump’s robust ground operation and internal survey data indicating significant union support for him.

In another display of union solidarity for Harris, Jim Ridderbush, vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1473, spoke at a rally in Green Bay, praising Harris for her support of striking autoworkers in 2019, and criticizing Trump for his tax policies and perceived neglect of working people.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has also thrown its weight behind Harris, with internal polling data showing she holds a slight lead among UAW members without a college degree. According to UAW President Shawn Fain, direct peer-to-peer engagement has been effective in communicating the stakes of the election to union members.

Back in Oshkosh, the Biden administration’s infrastructure investments, such as the $1 billion funding for the John A. Blatnik Bridge project, were cited by several workers as evidence of the administration’s support for union jobs.

Despite the current divided support within the union, some workers showed enthusiastic support for Harris, while others remained staunchly behind Trump. The mixed responses underscore the ongoing battle for union votes in the final days leading up to the election.