New York City – On Thursday August 3rd, members of the Legal Aid Society chapter of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (UAW Local 2325) held an informational lunchtime picket across all five boroughs of New York City. The picket was organized by the chapter’s Contract Action Team (CAT).
Legal Aid Society ALAA members took to the picket line to voice their frustrations over bargaining and record attrition of their members. An unprecedented number of attorneys have left the Legal Aid Society in recent years due to stagnant wages, inflation, student debt, and rising cost of living.
All the while, Management has failed to recruit new staff. Those members who remain are facing crushing caseloads as they struggle to provide world-class legal representation to the most vulnerable New Yorkers in criminal, family, housing, and immigration courts.
“We’re really fighting for basic human dignity, a fair wage, autonomy to do our job,” said Olga Karounos, a criminal defense attorney at Legal Aid. “We’re not just fighting for our lawyers, but for our clients themselves.”
The chapter has been bargaining with management since September 2022 and is still without a contract. Management has failed to come to the union with any substantive economic offer to meet the union’s primary demand of significant base salary increases. In addition to fighting for salaries, LAS chapter members are advocating for reasonable caseload caps for our members representing clients in Housing Court and for flexible working conditions.
“This can’t be tolerated – it’s an untenable and unsustainable position for all the attorneys,” said Atusa Mozaffari, a housing attorney with the Legal Aid Society. “Hopefully, as contract negotiations continue, our voices will be heard, and we’ll get the things we deserve.”
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