MEET BRETT HULME
Brett was raised in a working-class family as the oldest of three boys, where he learned responsibility and work ethic. He started working young - delivering newspapers by bike, cutting grass, and later working weekends in a local sandwich shop - experiences that shaped his respect for people who work hard to provide for their families.
After high school, Brett earned his B.S. in Marketing while working full-time across a range of jobs - from construction and distribution to route sales and delivery.
Brett moved to Georgia in 1989 and began a career working with union members and working families, joining OPEIU Local 277 and becoming deeply involved in labor leadership. In Savannah, he served as a delegate to the Trades & Labor Assembly (Central Labor Council) beginning in 1990, was elected Vice President (1991-2000), and later served as President (2000-2016). Under his leadership, the council expanded from 24 to 44 affiliated local unions, representing about 9,000 members, and grew its regional influence on behalf of working families. For his organizing and leadership, Brett was named Georgia AFL-CIO Labor Leader of the Year in 2015.
In 2016, Brett became Political Director for the Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council, covering Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina (later expanding to include Alabama and Tennessee). In that role, he helped build bipartisan working relationships and educate union members on civic engagement. Two key highlights include helping advance a worker misclassification law signed in Georgia (2022) and an apprenticeship law signed in Tennessee (2025) - both aimed at protecting workers and strengthening career pathways.
Brett and his wife Christi married in 2005. He remains active in the labor movement as a longtime delegate with OPEIU Local 277 and a member of Carpenters Local 256.
ENDORSEMENTS
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 188
Laborer’s Local 515
IBEW Local 508
SMART Local 85
Operating Engineers Local 474
Ironworkers Local 709
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 177
IBEW Local 1579
ITPEU
Insulators Local 96
Georgia’s Department of labor should focus on workers first - not bureaucracy or special interests. Brett will enforce the laws already on the books to stop rampant employee misclassification and make sure working people are treated fairly. He’ll hold bad actors accountable and make sure workers aren’t cheated out of wages they earned.
Brett is passionate about expanding and communicating pathways for all people to get the job training and apprenticeships they need to advance in the work force. He’ll use the Department of Labor to strengthen partnerships with unions, employers, and technical colleges - building opportunities for Georgians in every corner of our state to succeed.
Build a department of Labor that is prepared, responsive and puts Georgians first modernizing claims processing and improving customer service by investing in software that is up to date and records are accurate. Workers facing an interruption in earnings desperately need a quick turnaround on their unemployment claims.
