City Legal Services Workers Voting on Strike Authorization

With contracts set to expire June 30, nearly 2,500 public interest legal workers are poised to take historic strike action that could shut down critical legal services across New York City. Members of UAW Local 2325 including including attorneys, advocates, and support staff have spent years coordinating their bargaining timelines to maximize collective power, and are now voting on strike authorizations after months of stalled negotiations and unacceptable wage proposals.

Union demands include a $70,000 wage floor, six-figure salaries after five years for attorneys, improved healthcare and retirement benefits, and protections against excessive workloads. Legal service workers across multiple organizations, including the Legal Aid Society, Bronx Defenders, and NYLAG, have already held practice pickets and are escalating pressure as management delays meaningful economic offers.

The Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys is also calling on the City to invest $74 million in additional funding to support fair contracts and address a crisis of understaffing and burnout in a sector that provides vital services to low-income New Yorkers. Without a resolution, workers are prepared to strike in early or mid-July. Read more from The Chief-Leader and the Queens Eagle, and follow the unionon social media for updates!