Levi Murphy

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Character Information Sheet[/align]

NS Nation Name: Puertollano

Character Name: Levi Murphy

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 55

Character Height: 180cm

Character Weight: 72kg

Character Position/Role/Job: Senator for Minnesota (2014-current), President of AFL-CIO Minnesota (2005-2013), President of Amalgamated Transportation Union Local 1005 (2002-2005).

Appearance: [img]https://pbs.twimg.com/profile\_images/1012122864839884800/-OpaJCON\_400x400.jpg[/img]

Character State of Origin: Montana

Character State of Residence: Minnesota

Character Party Affiliation: Democratic

Main Strengths: Strong union connections, energetic campaigner.

Main Weaknesses: Domineering/self-centered, poor family relationship.

Biography: Levi was born in Great Falls (Montana) to his mother Hetty Murphy and his father John Murphy in 1964. He was one of four children in a working class family. Levi and his siblings attended the public school in Great Falls, but he did not spend the entirety of his education in Montana. At age 17, their family moved to Minneapolis after their mother, Hetty, was offered a position as a principal at a school there. Hetty and her extended family lived in Minnesota already, so the family decided to permanently stay in Minnesota, rather than move back to Montana when her position expired. Levi's father, John, was a carpenter by trade, but also a skilled guitarist. His work as a carpenter and busking on the side meant the family could afford to give their children a good higher education. Levi went to Minnesota State University in Mankato, where he lived in a flat with friends while having a part-time job. There he studied urban planning, as he also studied public policy on the side. After finishing his course, by the time he was 22, he moved back to Minneapolis where he got a job in local council. From 1986 to 1989, Levi worked as a surveyor but quickly grew tired of that life.

In 1989, Levi moved to St Paul after he was offered work as a bus driver. There was a critical shortage of bus drivers in the city and Levi was rewarded with good pay. There he came strongly involved in his union, the Amalgamated Transportation Union. He moved through the union ranks as a diligent and activist member. During this time, Levi made many connections with unionists and others in St Paul. It was at this period of time when Levi met his wife, who was a bartender at a popular restaurant in St Paul. They began going out together and fell in love. In 2000, many in the local ATU branch were outraged when the union accepted a meager pay raise from the Metropolitan Council. This brought about great dissatisfaction with the union leadership at the time, as they accused the pay raise as not even able to keep up with rising inflation. In a concerted campaign, Levi ran for President of the ATU 1005 branch. His strong personal connections with the members of his branch and good oratory skills meant his campaign was successful and in 2002 Levi Murphy was elected President. There, Levi promised to pursue an "activist union", rather than a "roll-over union". A year later, in 2003, Levi married his wife, Penny, at a service in Minneapolis. Levi's family attended.

Events came to ahead in 2004, when the Republican administration in Minnesota began to approach the private sector about the privatization of transportation in the state. Although it was not a concrete step, it was a step in a direction that Levi did not appreciate. Ahead of this planned meeting, Levi, as President of the ATU Branch, organised protests that quickly caught on among other unionists and activist alike against the proposal. This is when Levi gained public attention, after a general strike was announced in response to the privatization attempts, mainly spearheaded by the "rising star" in the Minnesota labor movement. Initially, the strike was brushed off by the Republican Governor who accused them obstructing progress in the state and by causing a nuisance. However, because of a strong public relations team backing the protest and strike movement, the popular support was behind the movement against the privatization. During this period, Levi was frequently on local television, flouting his oratory skills and building is public image as someone who stands up to authority. Eventually, under public pressure, the meeting with the private sector was scrapped and it was hailed as a major victory for the unions, despite their dwindling membership nationwide.

At this time, Levi's wife, Penny, grew distant from him. She believed he spent too much time on work and rarely came home to see her during those times. She also frequently burst into argument with him over this matters, but he regularly dismissed her grievances.  Penny believed it was best for their child and her to leave the family, thus she filed for divorce. Penny got custody of their child. Levi was disturbed by this revelation, but didn't let it define his career ambitions. Elections for President of the AFL-CIO in Minnesota were beginning to open for candidates and buoyed by his overconfidence and growing popularity among trade unionists because of his efforts, he won the election in 2005. As President of AFL-CIO Minnesota, he was particularly involved in the campaign-side of unionism. He appointed long-time friends to the positions of campaign coordinator and an ally in the position of membership secretary. This ally was Chloe Perkins, an associate he met during the strike. However, they began to see each other as more than that, and began to go out on dates (although outside of the public eye). Levi expanded his public image as an advocate for "working people", attending marches, protests and advising state Democratic politicians. During his final years as President, Levi officially joined the Democratic Party as a member. He had always, however, voted Democrat anyway.

By 2013, Levi and Chloe felt as though they should officiate it with a wedding, but he didn't want to do so still as the President of the AFL-CIO Minnesota. Therefore, Levi did not seek re-election as President and married her in 2013. With growing discontent with the Republican Party in Minnesota, Levi Murphy believed it was a perfect opportunity to run for public office. With strong backings from the union and activist progressive organisations, Levi won the Democratic primary and clinched the Minnesota Senate election in 2014. He ran on a progressive platform of raising the minimum wage, investing more in infrastructure and public schools, legalizing recreational marijuana, increasing the tax burden on the rich, universal healthcare, prison justice reform, universal and free college. During his time in Congress, Levi flouted a strong left-wing record, with particularly strong anti-war positions. He proposed several bills to introduce a national $15 dollar minimum wage and the legalisation of recreational marijuana. None of these gained enough traction, but he was seen as a powerful voice for the people of Minnesota.