Isaac Merlos was appointed Business Representative of the Manufacturing Division at the General Membership meeting on April 11, 2024. Isaac’s appointment went into effect upon the retirement of Business Representative Anthony Esponda.
Isaac was born on March 7, 1989 in El Salvador to parents Alex and Idalia Merlos. The oldest of three children, Isaac grew up in a culturally rich environment up to the age of 12, when his parents brought him to New York in February 2001. Issac grew up in Plainview, New York, but attended Bethpage public schools. After graduating from Bethpage High School with an advanced Regents diploma in 2007, he attended Nassau Community College.
In 2008, Isaac started to work at Apogee Lighting where he was introduced to the Local 3, IBEW Manufacturing Division. He started as a helper but quickly moved up the ranks where he was an assembler, fabricator, driver, and lead person. He was appointed Shop Steward in 2014.
During his career as a member of Local 3, Isaac has joined the 419 Spartan Club, Young Workers Committee, Organizing Committee, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and Wage & Policy Committee. He has attended multiple conferences including the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC), the Broadcast, Manufacturing, and Telecom Branch (BMT), and Membership Development, alongside volunteering for phone banks and canvassing for union-endorsed candidates.
