IBEW Local 77 Political Director Missing in Small Plane

Searchers Continue Looking For Missing Seaplane
September 23, 2004
By Michelle Esteban

SEATTLE - As of Thursday it had been four days since anyone had seen two local brothers, Joe and Jim Murphy. Their seaplane went missing on Monday in Alaska.

The search continued and family and friends told KOMO 4 News they were confident the brothers were okay and just needed to be rescued.

"We're all pulling for him, we just have to be strong," said Karen Kaiser, Communications Director for the Washington State Labor Council. Joe Murphy is her friend and colleague of 20 years.

Joe Murphy, his identical twin brother, Jim Murphy and three other men took off in a seaplane on Monday. They were flying out of Sitka, Alaska, and headed for a prime fishing hole when their plane vanished.

Kaiser couldn't believe it when she heard they were missing. She and Joe just saw each other a week ago. Joe is the Senior Vice President of the Washington State Labor Council.

"He was in fine form, as optimistic and energetic as always and always with a huge heart and attitude of hopefulness -- so we're all hoping right now," said Kaiser.

Joe, a Bremerton resident, is well known and well liked. He spent his entire career devoted to his union, IBEW, Local 77. He's their political director.

"Joe has always been there for the underdog he has a lot of energy he's been an asset to us at IBEW 77," said Don Guillot, Business Manager for I.B.E.W. Local 77.

Joe is also a staunch Democrat and was instrumental in bringing Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry to Puget Sound.

For three years he chaired the state Democratic Party. Democrats told KOMO 4 News they were too upset to talk about him.
"I've know Joe for 20 years...I'm looking forward to seeing him and saying 'don't do that again," laughed Kaiser.

"He's the type of guy who's gonna walk out of the woods and tell us a story," said Guillot.

As of Thursday, Coast Guard Aircrews had spent roughly 40 hours covering more than 2,000 miles of shoreline looking for the missing seaplane with no luck.


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Alaska: No sign of missing plane with Gardiner man aboard
2004-09-26

SITKA, Alaska -- There still is no trace of a missing floatplane as the search for it and its five occupants -- including a North Olympic Peninsula resident -- enters its sixth day today in southeast Alaska.

Coast Guard officials had hoped a break in the weather Friday would turn up signs of the plane's passage, but flyovers of mountain passes yielded nothing, according to Lt. Matt Moorlag at the Coast Guard's Juneau command center.

The search by Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol and private aircraft continued Saturday.

Wind gusts of up to 50 mph were expected in the area by Saturday evening, which could hamper the search today.

``So we're trying to search as much as we possibly can with the weather window we have today,'' Moorlag said Saturday.

Those on board are Jim Murphy of Gardiner; his twin brother Joe Murphy of Bremerton, senior vice president of the Washington State Labor Council; Jerry Balmer of Auburn, Calif.; Lloyd Koenig of Pleasanton, Calif.; and pilot Eric Johnson, who flies for Harris Air Services of Sitka.