Photos courtesy: New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO,
On Tuesday, legal services workers with the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys—UAW Local 2325 (ALAA)—rallied in solidarity with striking members to demand the funding, staffing, and support they need to continue delivering justice for low-income New Yorkers.
The rally launched a picket line of 400 workers and drew support from Assemblymember and Democratic Mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, State Attorney General Letitia James, New York City Council Labor Chair Carmen De La Rosa, New York City Council Member Justin Brannan, State Assembly Member Claire Valdez, and others. Underfunded for decades, these legal services workers are demanding fair wages, adequate resources, and staffing to reduce burnout and high turnover—issues that directly impact the quality of representation their clients receive. Common demands across the sector focus on lifting wages and guaranteeing workload protections that ensure working class New Yorkers get the best, most experienced advocates and that these union members can afford to stay in jobs they love.
“ALAA members are striking for the resources they need to represent working class New Yorkers in our city’s courts,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla. “We cannot sustain the high levels of attrition, burnout, and turnover in our workplaces. This is a fight for justice for poor and working-class people all over New York City. We need the mayor to step up and utilize these record reserves that they’ve been bragging about to ensure that we actually ‘Trump-proof’ the city by keeping legal advocates and attorneys in their jobs.”
More than 400 attorneys and support staff from nonprofit legal services organizations including CAMBA, Urban Justice Center, NYLAG and Goddard Riverside Law Project have already begun their strikes, with more expected to join this morning.