August 20, 2007

Dear SEIU Local 1985 Members:

I would first like to thank all of you for your extraordinary patience during the last several months. I know that, as a local, we have gone through some tough times, but I can assure you that we’re making good, steady progress toward resolving some difficult issues. Your commitment to this local and your professional input have allowed us to keep moving forward.

I am also writing to provide you with an update on the local and to try to answer some of the questions that seem to concern members the most.

To begin, many of you know that we have been receiving great support and assistance from SEIU Local 5000/NAGE. While NAGE is a local of SEIU, it is also the parent organization of close to 500 local unions throughout the country. In fact, NAGE has been in Georgia for over 20 years, with a number of different locals representing white-collar city employees and public safety officers throughout the state. They have a long and strong history in Georgia and have proved their “forever” commitment to their members here by maintaining a fully staffed regional office in Atlanta.

As a sister union, we went to NAGE to ask for assistance because of NAGE’s reputation for providing outstanding representational services and because of their dedication to their Georgia members. We have been working closely with a number of NAGE staff, including Marc Lawson, whom many of you have met.

Our experience with NAGE over the last few months has exceeded our highest expectations, so we have asked NAGE to continue to provide representational services for a 90-day “trial period.” During this time, we will get to know NAGE better and they will get to know us better.

Already, NAGE has registered two lobbyists with the state, showing that they really listen to our concerns and really are committed to improving our working conditions. They also have discussed plans for working with our most active members to devise aggressive organizing campaigns that will grow our local and give other workers the voice they deserve on the job.

I’m looking forward to working with NAGE over the next several months, and I hope that you are, too. NAGE has shown that it truly cares about our local and about our members’ concerns. I believe that, together, we will continue to make progress and will only grow stronger as a local.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Marc Lawson at 404-575-2223

In solidarity,
Neneki Lee
SEIU Local 1985 Trustee