Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar David Concludes Historic Visit to United States

Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David concluded his historic visit to the United States on Sunday, June 11. The visit, which lasted one week, included meetings with the Vice President of the United States, government officials, trade unions, international organizations at the United Nations, Jewish organizations, and Israeli envoys and workers in Israeli delegations.

Notably, the culmination of the visit was the meeting of Bar-David with the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris. At the end of the visit to the United States, Bar David said: “In a week with many highlights, it is important for me to emphasize the 7 words that Vice President Harris said to me “Thank you for what you are doing for Israel.” In thanking the Vice President, Bar-David said: “In the administration that is the friendliest to trade unions, I found an attentive ear and tremendous appreciation for our activities.”

During the many meetings held in this visit, Bar-David reviewed the activities of the Histadrut, and examined potential avenues for cooperation with Washington-based partners including the ILO- International Labor Organization and the UN Women. At the meetings, Bar-David expressed the Histadrut’s commitment to gender equality, equality at work, and the need to support the underprivileged in order to strengthen society as a whole. Bar-David also discussed the importance of the Histadrut’s firm stance on the right to strike in Israel, and the basic right to unionize, with these global partners and with leaders of Jewish organizations.

“I am very pleased with the results of my visit to the United States,” said Bar-David. “I had the opportunity to meet with some of the most important figures in American politics and labor, and to discuss the importance of cooperation between our two countries. I am confident that this visit will lead to new and exciting opportunities for the Histadrut and for the workers of Israel.”

During the visit, Bar-David also met with Israel’s ambassador to the US – Michael (Mike) Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the UN – Gilad Erdan, The Acting Consul General – Israel Nitzan, and with the head of the procurement delegation of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General (res.) Michel Ben Baruch. In these meetings and in further meetings with the Israeli envoys and workers in Washington and New York, the challenges of workers required to work far from home were also discussed. The chairman of the Histadrut assured the Israeli representatives and workers that the Histadrut would continue to represent them, fight for their rights, and do everything to promote their welfare and improve their employment conditions. This, alongside promoting the recognition of the importance of their work for the global status and security of Israel.

The chairman of the Histadrut concluded the visit by stating that in light of the current challenges in the State of Israel, he felt great pride to be able to represent the members of the Histadrut in conversations with global and US counterparts. “I shared my feelings and thoughts with my interlocutors and talked about the need to put the State of Israel back on the right track. I want to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the defense delegation who helped in planning and scheduling the meetings and President Stuart Applebaum and President Randi Weingarten of the AFL-CIO International committee, Retail Wholesale Department Store Union (RWDSU), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Jewish Labor Committee, and Jewish Community Relations Council of New York who supported and allowed my successful visit to come to fruition.”