An Important Legacy
District 925 restructured into SEIU state organizations and other locals in 2001 under the Building New Strength and Unity plan. The reasons for the dissolution were multivariate as they had ended those two decades in a tough environment for building union strength. Part of the reasoning behind this absorption into other locals was to consolidate strength by not having overlapping 925 chapters existing on top of SEIU locals. A change in SEIU leadership also resulted in a strategic deprioritization of 925. Members of the 925 chapters became important parts of these large SEIU affiliates, bolstering women leadership. They brought with them the legacy of the work of 20 years of a strong, member-focused organization, with the continued commitment to fight for economic justice for low-wage working women. Chapters of 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, remain active across the country as well. Today, Local 925 is the public sector SEIU local in Washington State, with public employees from several other SEIU locals all combined for a more powerful voice.
Final executive board meeting before District 925 was absorbed into other SEIU locals, (left to right) Jackie Ruff, Karen Nussbaum, Debbie Schneider, Anne Hill, and Kim Cook.
Cover of newsletter discussing the District 925 merger with other SEIU locals, called the 'Building New Strength and Unity' plan
Final District 925 national executive board meeting toast.
SEIU Office Workers Division Convention sending off Karen Nussbaum as she departs to work for the Department of Labor. From left to right: John Sweeney, Kristy Sermersheim, Anne Hill, Debbie Schneider, and Karen Nussbaum
