ALAA Statement in Support of Workers at Language Line Solutions

We, the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys - UAW Local 2325 (ALAA), represent over 3,500 workers in the legal services and community advocacy sector in the New York metropolitan area. We call upon Language Line Solutions and parent company Teleperformance to respect the right for Language Line workers to unionize with the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

ALAA members include public defenders, immigration attorneys, tenant organizers, financial counselors, family advocates, and social workers. Our work often requires our members to be able to communicate about complex legal proceedings with individuals from many different backgrounds, who speak many different languages. While some of our members are employed as interpreters themselves, and others are otherwise multilingual and are often called upon to provide interpretation for clients, the vast majority interpretation and translation services are provided by third parties, like Language Line Solutions, in order to effectively communicate with clients. Indeed, the majority of ALAA’s employers contract with Language Line specifically. 

Some of the findings from the recent study conducted by CWA—namely, that low pay leading to high turnover, workload metrics, and inadequate training harm not only workers but service quality for clients—are familiar themes for our members. Language Line workers work regularly with our members to support the same at-risk communities. The injustices they themselves face at work are shameful. 

“ALAA members regularly rely on the services of Language Line workers to communicate with clients experiencing extreme injustice: eviction, deportation, and other forms of violence,” said Lisa Ohta, President of ALAA - UAW Local 2325. “Having quality interpretation in these scenarios is essential to serve and protect our communities from the inhumanity of the legal system, and the working conditions at Language Line Solutions directly impact the quality of service they can provide.”

ALAA stands with Language Line workers in their fight for recognition. We call upon Language Line Solutions and its parent company Teleperformance to honor the global neutrality agreement with UNI Global Union and begin implementation in the United States.