ALAA has adopted the following resolution via membership vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and support for workers’ political speech
This resolution commits our union to the following positions:
BREAKING: Our members at
@PLSNYunion
have unanimously voted to authorize a strike beginning 9/18 if
@PLS_NY
does not agree to a fair contract. PLS workers deserve living wages, affordable healthcare, and rights at work as they defend the rights of incarcerated people in NY✊
We are out this morning on the picket line with
@SW_Columbia
.
@Columbia
stop the threats, stop the intimidation and come to a fair contract with student workers.
With the NLRB ballot count completed, the
@QdUnion
has been certified as the bargaining representative of the professional employees at
@QueensDefenders
in a vote of 46-12. ✊✊✊
#QDUnionStrong
📢🇵🇸We will organize against any attempts by our employers to procure funds denied to other legal services providers due to their union’s political activism in support of Palestinians and in opposition to the Israeli apartheid regime and occupation;
📢🇵🇸We call on Israel and the United States to implement an immediate ceasefire; restore water, electricity, gas, and internet; permit international humanitarian assistance, and retract any evacuation orders in Gaza;
Thank you to the 18 (!) elected officials from Queens including
@AOC
who signed onto our letter to
@QueensDefenders
calling on Executive Director Lori Zeno to rescind the terminations of our two members who were terminated last week
#QDUnionStrong
We are proud to announce we were able to reach an agreement for card check and neutrality with
@BronxDefenders
, which resulted in the subsequent recognition of our union with the overwhelming support of the staff. Congratulations to the 270 workers of the
@BxDUnion
!
We received a message from
@QueensDefenders
that despite 90% of workers supporting the union they will refuse to recognize
@QdUnion
and that they will begin holding captive audience meetings to share their anti-union perspective with staff.
📢🇵🇸We endorse Not on Our Dime legislation, which prohibits not-for-profit corporations in New York from aiding or abetting activity in support of illegal Israeli settlements in violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949
📢🇵🇸We support the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland;
📢🇵🇸 We reject all attempts to intimidate workers for their political speech
#COVID19
is a crisis for Rikers. All alleged parole violators held on technical or non bail qualifying violations must be released immediately
@CorrectionNYC
@NYCMayor
On Friday, in a vote of 555-182, our union passed a resolution on UAW divestment from Israel bonds.
"ALAA 2325 supports taking action, both as individual members and as a chapter collectively, in support of Palestinian liberation from Israeli apartheid."
In celebration of Women's History Month, join Queens Defenders as we team up with the office of
@JSandersNYC
tomorrow at 12PM for a timely panel discussion on 'The Future of Young Women of Color in the Democratic Party'.
After months of negotiations with
@LegalAidNYC
we still have no contract, salaries are flat since 2021, staff are leaving in droves, and workloads are more unconscionable every day.
We will be holding a 5-boro picket on 2/8 at 1pm to demand a contract.
FAIR WAGES STOP ATTRITION
UAW President Shawn Fain on the
@MFJUnion
strike: "MFJ, a nonprofit that claims to be in support of social justice and progress, has hired scabs. So I want to be direct here. The management at MFJ is a disgrace."
**Statement by ALAA in Response to the Dissolution of the Temporary Restraining Order**
“Neither courts nor employers should silence our union’s voice, which is heard most clearly through a membership vote”
ALAA will now conclude voting on the resolution on 12/19/23, 9am-5pm
The attorneys of the
@SchdyCountyNY
Public Defender have announced today that they are forming a union as a chapter of ALAA. We call on the County to immediately recognize these essential workers
@UAW
@UAWRegion9A
“There’s been a sea change within the non-profit public defense world such that almost every public defender organization in the city has unionized,” said Murtaza Husain, 31, a lawyer in BDS’ family defense practice since 2017.
@bds_union
BREAKING:
@QueensDefenders
ED Lori Zeno has FIRED 2 union members of in what we believe is retaliation for their outspoken union support. We demand that they be reinstated immediately and that all retaliation cease.
#QDUnionStrong
Full release:
ALAA Response to the House Committee Subpoena
"Our workplace struggles, our clients’ struggles, and the struggles of workers around the world, including in Palestine, are indelibly intertwined. Our fight for humanity and for organized labor does not stop at the courtroom door."
When we thought
@QueensDefenders
could stoop no lower, tonight, the day before our ballots will be counted QD immediately terminated the employment of a Worker who gave notice of resignation after she would not respond to illegal questions about how she had voted
#QDUnionStrong
ALAA Members at
@LegalAidNYC
have gone over 1 year without a new contract! We will hit the streets tomorrow for a 5 borough informational picket to demand a fair contract.
#FairWagesStopAttrition
#1u
In less than 24 hours we will know the results of the
@bds_union
election. We can't wait to formally call you our union siblings. Shout out to the brave
@BklynDefender
staff who have endured a 2 month wait and will finally have their voices heard and their votes counted!
LIVE: Members of ALAA have joined
@BxDUnion
at their practice picket before their strike deadline next Monday.
@BronxDefenders
, you can reach a fair contract with us NOW!
@NYSCourtsNews
our 2000 members will not be setting foot in the courthouses until we determine that they are safe. We will not risk the lives of our clients and our colleagues to participate in your political maneuvering.
🚨 Picket 🚨 Office of the Appellate Defender
@oad_nyc
is refusing to get rid of their 3 year fellowship model in attempt to eviscerate job security in the
@OAD_union
first contract. If you’re in downtown Manhattan for we’re picketing NOW from 1-2pm @ 11 park place today!
Welcome to the staff of
@_CFAL
who have announced their union. As of today, 100% of NYC’s appellate public defenders are *union strong* with ALAA. CC:
@appadunion
@OAD_union
This morning the NLRB issued a formal complaint on 15 different charges against
@QueensDefenders
for their union-busting conduct in the past few months, including charging QD with unlawfully discharging one of our members.
#QDUnionStrong
We join 31 organizations in calling on NY District Attorneys to decline to prosecute desk appearance tickets. Jails & courts are petri dishes for Covid-19, & communities need resources, not more prosecution for low level offenses during the worst pandemic of our lives.
Today we are welcoming the staff of
@NeighborhoodDef
Detroit office into our union 🥳🥳🥳
"There is no better way for us to fulfill our mission to serve our clients than to unionize and have a seat at the table” said
@NDSUnion
Chair Helmis Ortega.
“ALAA stands behind our resolution and the democratic processes that led to its overwhelming passage,” said Leah Duncan, ALAA UAW Local 2325 Financial Secretary-Treasurer
Last night our union's Joint Council overwhelmingly passed the attached motion calling on the AFL-CIO and UAW to expel policing unions from our ranks.
@NoCopUnions
Read the full statement below:
We call on
@nylag
to do better by our members. NYLAG has the unique distinction of being the only legal service provider in NYC which has not agreed to protect our members from real and potential harm in the courts.
After almost 3 months, in less than 24 hours the ballots will be counted in our union election at
@QueensDefenders
. Looking forward to officially welcoming the brave members of
@QdUnion
into our family
#QDUnionStrong
P.S. Lori Zeno, rehire our members who were illegally fired!
This weekend ALAA begins our first ever bargaining convention. We are ready to fight across our industry for our members and clients. To build standards and win record contracts. Dozens of ALAA delegates have gathered and are here to debate our priorities for the next 2 days✊
Randal Wilhite, a member of
@alaa2325
at
@nylag
was removed from his work advising taxi drivers due to his strong advocacy.
@TLCCommishChair
@NYCDCA
must immediately allow him to resume his work.
For Kalief Browder, Layleen Polanco & tens of thousands of NYers was ho will subjected to pretrial jailing because of these rollbacks. We call on
@CarlHeastie
&
@AndreaSCousins
& our progressive allies to
#VoteNo
#NoRollbacks
and to keep discovery reform in tact
At
@QueensDefenders
we have been fighting for a fair contract for more than a year, while QD has refused to agree to common sense policies to resolve negotiations.
Our members showed incredible unity by posting their demands on their office doors and wearing their union buttons.
New York prisons and jails had COVID rates 8 times that of the general population at points of the pandemic. Excluding these folks is the opposite of justice
Your reminder that although 2.5m people are now eligible for the covid vaccine in NYC, one group has been excluded: people who are incarcerated.
Jails are extremely high-risk congregant settings. People who are incarcerated must be added to eligibility—& vaccinated—immediately.
Courts have processed more than 60k cases since Mid-March yet
@NYCMayor
blames courts “not working” for increases in crime. Our members have put their lives on the line & workers have died servicing NYers, as have judges and court officers. Don’t scapegoat us for policy failings
A few months ago we highlighted union-busting by
@QueensDefenders
, now we are in another struggle with another organization
@Center4FamRep
which refuses to reach a contract with their staff and ensure just cause protections.
Accept the Union’s proposal for a
#FairContractCFR
!
Over 50 years of ALAA!
ALAA has come a long way from its origin as the first significant labor union of attys in the US, transforming into an organization of legal services workers of all stripes and forever altering the terrain of public defense in NY
After 4 bargaining sessions with
@NeighborhoodDef
we have seen little to no movement from management on key issues that matter to our members and communities.
Over 160 union members from NYC, Detroit, and Texas have signed a petition calling on NDS to
#fulfillthepromise
Welcome to another week of the
@bds_union
proudly advocating for the rights of their colleagues in the streets and in the courts.
@BklynDefender
, the overwhelming majority of staff have signed union cards and chosen to form a union, let's get to recognition asap!
Some of our ALAA contingent to the
@UAWRegion9A
Summer School! Great to meet other
@UAW
members and learn how to build our union, win strong contracts, and make gains for our members!
Liz Bender: To be clear, any public defender will tell you that they do not do it for the money. We do not do it to get rich. I am not asking you to make me rich. I am asking for a salary that will support me and my family in the City I serve.
@CrimJusticeNYC
#PayParityNow
#COVID19
is a pandemic. Children in the juvenile enforcement system need to be released & we demand a safety plan from
@acsnyc
for kids in congregate care.
[JOBS POST]
Here is our monthly non-attorney ALAA union jobs thread, please share widely and join our movement! These are positions with fair wages, job security, good benefits, please share widely!
Unacceptable.
“When she received the test results, she should have immediately informed the whole office that she tested positive and then closed the offices to avoid any further exposure,”
ALAA calls on Senate Majority Leader
@AndreaSCousins
, Assembly Speaker
@CarlHeastie
and legislators, to continue to stand against these misguided rollbacks of Bail Reform and advance a budget that truly serves the needs of our members and all New Yorkers.
She continued to insult my character, degrade
my abilities as a lawyer, and threaten to ruin me. She even lowered her mask and told me that she “wanted me to understand that she would ruin me.” I do not believe this was not a firing due for cause as
@QueensDefenders
has claimed.
The staff of
@nycCoRe
announced 2 weeks ago that they are unionizing as part of ALAA! 🙌✊ We are waiting on CoRe Management to agree to an inclusive recognition agreement that would include all workers present and future. If not, we are ready to win an NLRB election!
More than 65% of our members have law school debt, and MANY of them owe over $150k. Relieving student debt would help countless borrowers, and enable them to put money back into the economy. US student debt = $1.6T. We gave $1.5T to banks
As one of the many millions of people in 6-figure student loan debt to do public interest work, this shit is infuriating. Real talk, it also makes me want to cry.👇🏽
#CancelStudentDebt
After months of waiting,
@QueensDefenders
will finally stand trial today at the
@NLRB
for their numerous alleged violations of federal labor law including the termination of our members and other unlawful union busting against
@QdUnion
#QDUnionStrong
Today is the day ✊✊
@LegalAidNYC
must come back with a proposal which addresses the concerns of the people who defend NYC's most marginalized: fair wages, stopping attrition, and reasonable caseloads.
See you at 1pm on the picket line!
“Our membership will not be intimidated into abandoning our core principles, including advancing the interests of working people worldwide, by this blatant attack on organized labor.”
Although it may be hard for Zeno to fathom, the
@QdUnion
is not the result of a conspiracy, but 100% the project of staff.
Unlike
@QueensDefenders
our union is a democratic organization accountable only to our members and the communities we serve. [1/4]
BREAKING: Public defenders will walk out city-wide at 3:30pm today at every borough's courthouse to protest ICE's continued presence in our city's courthouses ✊✊📢📢‼️
#ICEOUT
@NYSCourtsNews
@NYGovCuomo
"Millions of tenants are simply unable to pay their rent. Therefore, this reopening places disproportionately Black lives in danger of homelessness, exposure to Covid-19, and ultimately risk of premature death."
Lori Zeno is unfit to continue as Executive Director. The Board of Directors must move immediately to remove her for the preservation of the employees and clients.
We're hiring!
The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys -
@UAW
Local 2325 is seeking an organizer to join our team. ALAA combines organizing, legislative, and legal advocacy to effectively represent 3000 attorneys and staff across the NYC metro area.
Unfortunately,
@bronxdefenders
has made clear its choice in contract negotiations to be an extremely low road employer, refusing to offer industry standard wages and benefits and demanding givebacks from staff.
@UAW
@UAWRegion9A
@BxDUnion
BxD union siblings!🚨🚨As our contract expiration date approaches, we’ve got several events coming up—check out the calendar here! Looking forward to seeing y’all at an upcoming strike training and at the lunchtime picket! 🪧
Despite
@BklynDefender
's statements to the press and elected officials that they would recognize the union, they are insisting on an NLRB election instead of voluntary recognition.
The
@bds_union
is ready to win this💪
Solidarity with the newly elected of Bargaining Committee of the
@QdUnion
going into their first bargaining session with
@QueensDefenders
management today.
The Union Makes Us Strong.
#QDUnionStrong
💪✊
Today, workers of VOCAL NY formally filed for recognition as a union! Read our note to our community regarding our declaration--
#UnionStrong
#JustVOCAL