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
Insulators Local 96
ITPEU
IBEW Local 613
TWU Local 504
Insulators Local 48
ATU Local 1324
Savannah Federation of Teachers Local 2069
GA State Building & Construction Trades Council
IUPAT DC 77
UFCW Local 1996
Georgia Equality
GA BLET
Carpenters Local 225
Boilermakers Local 26
IBEW Local 1316
Carpenters Local 256
GA State Association of Letter Carriers
GA AFL-CIO
GA State Council of Machinists
SMART Local 1263
CWA Local 3201
CWA Local 3203
CWA Local 3204
CWA Local 3205
CWA Local 3215
CWA Local 3217
CWA Local 3218
CWA Local 3220
Operating Engineers Local 474
Ironworkers Local 709
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 177
IBEW Local 1579
ILA Local 2046
OPEIU Local 277
Operating Engineers Local 926
Elevator Constructors Local 32
CWA Local 3207
CWA Local 3212
CWA Local 3250
Elected Officials & Community leaders
State Rep El Mahdi-Holly
State Rep Lydia Glaize
Former State Rep Gloria Frazier
State Rep Al Williams
State Sen Derek Mallow
Mayor Van Johnson
State Rep Stacey Evans
Comm Bobby Lockett
Ald Lina Wilder Bryan
DA Fani Willis
State Sen Sally Harrell
State Rep Edna Jackson
Comm Francine Scott
State Rep Carl Gilliard
Mayor Mary Robichaux
Rep Arlene Beckles
DA Shalena Cook Jones
State Rep Elect Orlando Scott
State Sen David Lucas
Rep Robert Dawson
Mayor Pro Tem Gabrielle Nelson
State Rep Scott Holcomb
Ald Kurtis Purtee
State Rep Betsy Holland
State Sen Nan Orrock
State Rep Karlton Howard
Comm Tanya Milton
State Rep Regina Lewis-Ward
Mayor Teresa Smith
State Rep Karen Lupton
State Rep Dewey McClain
Ald Dedric Leggett
State Rep Mekyah McQueen
Ald Nick Palumbo
State Rep Sheila Clark Nelson
State Rep Gabe Okoye
State Sen Elena Parent
State Rep Mary Margaret Oliver
State Rep Esther Panitch
State Sen Kenya Wicks
State Rep Miriam Paris
State Rep Long Tran
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.
