DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL NOMINEE ZOHRAN MAMDANI STANDS WITH NEARLY 2,000 UAW LEGAL SERVICES WORKERS THREATENING TO STRIKE AS 11 CONTRACTS ARE SET TO EXPIRE
***PRESS ADVISORY***
Six chapters of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (ALAA - UAW 2325), representing legal services workers, have voted to authorize a strike; union members picket across Manhattan
(NEW YORK, NY) - At midnight on June 30, collective bargaining agreements representing over 2,000 members of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (ALAA - UAW Local 2325) are set to expire. In the past week, six chapters of ALAA have voted to authorize a strike. Included among these is the Legal Aid Society Attorneys United chapter, representing nearly 1,100 attorneys who work at the Legal Aid Society, which has not taken a strike authorization vote since 1994. Over 99% of members participated in this historic vote, with 91% voting yes.
“These 2,000 ALAA UAW 2325 workers are the last line of defense for New York City from Trump, so much so that I hosted a press conference about Trump-proofing the city at their local union office. They keep our most vulnerable New Yorkers protected in our courts. Mayor Adams has the ability to avert a strike here and the courts being shut down by paying these workers what they deserve. If he doesn’t, I will proudly stand with these brave workers on day one of their strike on the picket line,” said Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
Workers at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), Center for Appellate Litigation, Office of the Appellate Defender, Goddard Riverside Law Project, and Urban Justice Center, have also voted overwhelmingly to authorize strikes at their respective workplaces. At 1 pm on June 30, hundreds of union members used their lunch break to hold informational pickets outside of these workplaces, chanting demands for a liveable wage floor and fair workload standards.
“Our employers need to provide our members with a livable wage floor, annual wage increases that prevent attrition, and workloads that allow for the best quality of representation for our clients. Our members fight every day for New Yorkers, and this campaign is as much a fight to improve our working conditions as it is to guarantee justice for our clients. If our employers refuse to meet our demands, we are prepared to strike to get the wages we need to stay in the jobs we love,” said Lisa Ohta, President of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (UAW Local 2325).
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Press Contact:
Jane Fox
C: 943.243.7589
E: jfox@alaa.org
Leah W. Duncan
C: 347.990.0472
lduncan@alaa.org