When Will Smith first joined IBEW Local 332 as an apprentice inside wireman in 1999, he recalls that his uncle, a Sheet Metal Local 104 member, told him “Work hard, learn your trade, listen to the journeyman, give back to your union and maybe, one day you will be a union rep.”

Will took his uncle’s advice, serving as a volunteer for the union’s political program and the trades’ Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbers and Sprinkler Fitters (MEPS) residential sector organizing campaign, before being recruited as a Local 332 Business Representative in 2017.

In addition to representing Local 332 members, Will serves as the union’s political director, MEPS coordinator and as a delegate to the South Bay Labor Council where he is the 2nd vice president. “There is so much to do,” he says, whether it is excelling at his business representative job, or assisting the Labor Council, the Building Trades Council, the Trades Orientation Program, or other union-related organizations, Will never declines an opportunity to serve the movement. He also works on Local 332-sponsored projects including creek clean-ups, coat drives, bikes for needy children, and other charity functions.

“I love Local 332 because it gave me the opportunity, as a single father of six kids, to join the middle class. I feel compelled to give back to the union and the labor movement,” he explains.

It’s not just about work for Will, who is now an “empty nester”. He enjoys flying kites and drones, spending time at the beach, and visiting his favorite vacation destination – the Dominican Republic.