Brother Freifeld was born in 1927, and like many of his generation, he was a Second World War veteran, having served in the Royal Canadian Navy. His union activities began at Toronto International Airport when in 1960, William became a member of the Canadian Air Services Association (CASA). He served as local president before being elected to the UCTE national executive in 1975 as the Ontario Regional Vice-President. Brother Friedfeld was elected First Vice-President at the 1978 Convention in Halifax. Six months later, when Guy Jacob was elected as PSAC Vice-President, Freifeld became President of UCTE, serving until 1981. He was president during the 1980 CR strike, spreading newfound militancy within the union. He passed away in 2015.