October 12, 2001/Tishri 25, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 5
Israel impresses local labor leader
BARRY COHEN
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 Ted Murphree, president of the Central Arizona Labor Council, reaches into the Sea of Galilee during an Israel Bonds mission last July. Photo courtesy of Ted Murphree |
He responded, "You're out to lunch."
Murphree explains: after his tour of duty in Vietnam from 1967-68, he made a conscious decision never again to travel outside the United States.
However, both professionally and personally, he says he is grateful he went on a mission to Israel this past July sponsored by Israel Bonds. Murphree was the only Arizonan on the 22-person mission, which included national labor representatives and elected officials.
His experiences in Israel have increased his desire to reach out to the local leaders of the Jewish Labor Committee.
"Previously, I have not been able to build a good coalition or partnership with the folks of the Jewish faith," he says.
He says one of the reasons is that many of the activities of the Central Arizona Labor Council take place on the weekends, which interferes with the Jewish Sabbath.
Murphree, who is not Jewish, notes, "It's hard to coordinate when their holy days are different from ours."
Murphree hopes a local memorial service Oct. 11, sponsored by CALC and the Arizona Chapter of the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Conference of Indeustrial Organizations) to recognize the labor workers who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, will bring together labor leaders representing all religious faiths.
"When the terrorists hit, it was the trade union folks - firefighters, police officers and medical personnel - who tried to save people and lost their lives," says Murphree. "And our construction workers have been on those cranes 15-16 hours a day" (removing debris from the World Trade Center), he adds.
One of the reasons Oct. 11 was chosen as the date of the event - instead of a Saturday - was to enable Jewish labor representatives to attend, notes Murphree.
He says in part he decided to go to Israel because the American Trade Union Movement - which includes the AFL-CIO - "has been a supporter of Israel ever since it became a state."
"The other reason I wanted to go was because of the religious history of the country," he says.
A native Mississipian, Murphree notes he grew up in the Bible Belt. In religious school, he learned about Jesus' experiences at the Sea of Galilee. "To be able to walk up to the edge and put my hand into the Sea of Galilee was a very moving experience," he says.
Murphree arrived in the Valley in 1979 to work with a construction union. After a work-related injury in 1984, he accepted a position with the Arizona Department of Transportation. He was elected president of the Central Arizona Labor Council in 1996.
Murphree explains that the CALC is the "union of unions," with 63 affiliated chapters in Maricopa County.
While in Israel, Murphree was able to meet with Israel's "union of unions," the Histradut.
According to the World Zionist Union Web page, the Histadrut, created as a trade union in Palestine in 1920, is the largest employer in Israel.
Murphree says he wanted to go to Israel to do what he could to ensure bonds remain strong between "American labor" and the Histadrut.
He adds he will always be grateful to Israel Bonds for asking him to participate.