Bronx Defenders Union joins ongoing strike with other NY public defenders
About 300 staff with the Bronx Defenders Union walked off the job, making them the third such guild to strike in July. (Photo by KLH49/Getty Images)
Another union representing public defenders in New York City has gone on strike this week.
About 300 staff with the Bronx Defenders Union walked off the job Monday, making them the third such guild to strike this month over economic demands on behalf of its lowest-paid workers.
Law.com and amNY have coverage.
The move added further strain on the city’s court system. On Friday, 120 staff members of the Harlem, New York-based Neighborhood Defender Services announced that they were going on strike. The Brooklyn Defender Services, which covers Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, ended a five-day strike with a tentative contract agreement last Wednesday.
When Bronx Defenders Union members voted to authorize a strike, members blamed management’s economic proposal around nonattorney roles, such as investigators, advocates and administrators, as a major part of the stalemate in negotiations.
Bronx Defenders Union management defended its offers to the union, which included annual cost-of-living raises of 3% for advocates and investigators. Management said attorney pay is comparable to other city legal providers.
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