Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We are happy to inform you that a date has been secured for your Union election!

On January 10, 2018, Athena employees will have the opportunity to gain a voice in their workplace and the right to collectively bargain with their employer (Athena Consulting LLC).

Usually, employers are not pleased when workers decide to organize and join a union, due to it placing them on equal footing as the employees and requires them to bargain your employment, wages, benefits and working conditions.

A tell-tale sign of whether or not your employer respects your right to organize is what the employer does in the weeks leading up to Election Day. For instance, the employer may send out some form of communication, usually a letter, attempting to discourage and intimidate workers and/or bring in anti-union law firms whose primary goal is to discourage employees from voting "yes" for the union.

One of the most common tactics used by these law firms is holding a series of meetings, where they try to convince employees not to join a union. The information provided to employees at these meetings is strategically crafted to persuade your decision by using scare tactics, as well as scripted misrepresentations about unions.

With that said, Athena Consulting, LLC, has hired one of the largest, most expensive, union­busting law firms in the country, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, to assist them during this election. It is our hope it is not their intent to misinform you about what it means to be a union member.

We have a bargaining survey available at http://www.mcgeo.org/bargaining-survey/. We want to ensure that once you've won your election, we can hit the ground running with contract negotiations and your voice is heard. Complete the survey as soon as possible, but no later than January 5, 2018.

If you have any concerns or additional questions, contact me at (202)-207-5787, Donald Minor (804)-869-3260 or Alejandro Miranda (202)-341-3455.

In Solidarity,

Raymun Lee
Associate Coordinator of Organizing