William Hartigan
Current Company and Position: ILA local 1804-1 business agent; ITF representative for the ILA.
First Job: Fence Company.
What it taught me: Taught me to work hard and make the most of it.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Embrace it. If it's a physical job use it as a way to gain strength. Look forward to that sense of accomplishment. Always build good relationships in any job. Work hard with a good attitude and everything else will fall into place.
Who is your hero and why? My father. He worked his way up from nothing and enjoyed providing for his family. He was very unselfish and never put anyone out of their way. He was loved and respected by the people he knew and worked with. He was a wealth of knowledge and had a heart of gold
Biography: William (Billy) Hartigan embarked on his ILA journey in 1998 as a member of ILA local 1804-1 in the port of NY/NJ. Billy began his career at the ILA health clinic in Manhattan, NY, later transitioning to Maher Terminals in Port Elizabeth, NJ, where he served as a facility maintenance mechanic and TIR inspector. Over nearly two decades, he contributed significantly, eventually becoming Master Foremen/Part-time Shop Steward for the local Union. In 2019, Billy was unanimously elected as the business agent of Local 1804-1, concurrently representing the ILA as the ITF representative. Notably, he played a pivotal role in organizing rallies and industrial actions during the ILA's jurisdictional dispute with wind developer Orsted. In addition to his work with the ILA, Billy has actively participated in joint campaigns with the ITF and the IDC. Billy helped spearhead a study on 5G and artificial intelligence to get a better understanding of the threat of automation on workers. He currently resides in Red Bank, NJ, where he shares his life with his wife, Kathryn and their three beautiful daughters.
