DETROIT (AP) — Members of the Teamsters will host Vice President Kamala Harris for a roundtable discussion in the near future, but union president Sean O’Brien has not yet received an invitation to speak at next week’s Democratic National Convention.

Kara Deniz, a spokeswoman for the 1.3 million-member union, said in an email Friday that the Teamsters are working with Harris’ campaign team on the dates for the roundtable talks.

But O’Brien, who angered some Democrats with his speech at the Republican convention last month, has not received a response to his request to speak at the Democratic convention that begins Monday in Chicago, Deniz said Friday evening.

O’Brien made this request to Democrats at the same time as he did to Republicans, she said.

A person briefed on the convention’s planning said Saturday that O’Brien will not speak but the Teamsters will be present on the convention stage. The person, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the schedule, declined to provide further details.

The Democrats have been the party of unions for decades, while Republicans have been largely hostile to them. Most major unions, including the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers, have already endorsed Harris.

But in January, the Teamsters met with their Republican opponent, Donald Trump, and O’Brien received a lukewarm reception when he spoke on the opening night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. In his speech, O’Brien criticized both major political parties for not doing enough to help working people.

The Teamsters say the decision on supporting the president will be made after the party conventions.

Earlier this year, Trump met with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to gain the union’s support. After that meeting, Trump boasted that a significant portion of union voters were behind him and said of a possible Teamsters endorsement, “Stranger things have happened.”

But in a discussion on Monday on social media platform X with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Trump praised Musk for firing striking workers. Musk laughed and agreed with him. Although it was not clear what Trump was referring to, the statements sparked criticism from unions who accused Trump and Musk of being anti-worker.

The United Auto Workers have even filed a lawsuit for unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board. They claim that Trump and Musk’s comments have hindered workers from forming a union. The NLRB announced an investigation.

“Both Trump and Musk want workers to sit down and shut up, and they are openly laughing about it,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.

Trump’s campaign team called the allegations frivolous and a “shameless political ploy.”

O’Brien also criticized Trump and Musk in a statement. “Firing workers for organizing, striking and exercising their rights as Americans is economic terrorism,” he said.

FILE – Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, speaks during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, July 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)