Making their case: NYC public interest attorneys rally for higher pay as hundreds go on strike

Hundreds of attorneys and legal advocates rallied at Foley Square in front of the New York County Supreme Court Tuesday morning to demand greater city funding for free legal services and call on management at various nonprofit legal organizations to offer higher pay.

As various employment contracts expire, over 2,000 legal service workers could go on strike as early as this week — about 400 started striking Tuesday at Goddard Riverside Law Project, Urban Justice Center, CAMBA, and New York Legal Assistance Group.

Several local union chapters, including the Legal Aid Society, Center for Appellate Litigation, Appellate Advocates, the Office of the Appellate Defender, and Bronx Defenders, saw their contracts expire at the beginning of the month.

The union at Legal Aid, the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys – United Auto Workers Local 2325, includes over 1,000 attorneys and notified management last week that it will terminate its collective bargaining agreement on Friday if a contract is not met.

Union members and striking legal workers were joined Tuesday by Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens), the Democratic nominee for mayor, and state Attorney General Letitia James, a former Legal Aid employee and member of ALAA – UAW 2325. The UAW was the first major union to endorse Mamdani in his primary campaign for mayor.

Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani joined Tuesday’s rally.Photo by Shea Vance

Mamdani, James, and other speakers discussed why the various union chapters across the city are seeking higher wages, lower caseloads, and greater retirement benefits. They argued that federal threats to immigrants require a greater allocation of resources than what is currently being proposed.

Mamdani and union leaders criticized Mayor Eric Adams, who has faced calls from union chapters to give more funding to legal nonprofits.

“It is incumbent upon every single one of us to stand with you so that you can continue to afford to do this work,” Mamdani said to the crowd, pointing out a sign that read, “My clients deserve a lawyer who can pay rent.”

“What I am excited by every single moment is the fact that we, together, are building a new kind of politics where workers do not have to beg for what they deserve,” Mamdani said, going on to lead a chant of “Freeze the rent” — a signature campaign promise that has defined much of his economic policy.

Mamdani said he does “not have great hopes for Eric Adams” in the quest to secure more nonprofit legal service funding. Legal Aid and similar organizations are nonprofit contractors with the government, which provides funding to legal services. In a previous statement to amNewYork, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice wrote that the city is working with “other legal defense partners to prepare for any potential challenges and impact of a strike.”

‘Cuts are coming for our clients’

After the rally, Jane Fox, the head of Legal Aid’s union, said that union representatives are hitting a wall with management when it comes to wages in negotiations at Legal Aid—the organization with the largest union chapter of the chapters considering strikes.

However, the union and management have made some progress on smaller demands. Fox emphasized recent federal cuts made to social programs in President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” reconciliation bill.

“Those cuts are coming for our clients,” Fox said. “Our attorneys and non-attorney members are gonna be the ones in court protecting people in New York, protecting working class members from those cuts. If our members leave and there’s nobody there to represent working class New Yorkers in court, what is the purpose?”

Fox has said that high caseloads and low pay can quickly lead to burnout and low retention at organizations like Legal Aid. Part of the union’s goal is to ease some of the pressures put on Legal Aid attorneys to allow them to engage more deeply with individual cases and focus on the longevity of their careers.

Legal Aid authorized a strike at the end of June after receiving a final offer from management that “doesn’t keep up with inflation or the cost of living,” Fox said at the time. The union and management extended negotiations after the contract’s expiration on July 1, but bargaining has since stalled, and the union notified Legal Aid last week that it plans to terminate its collective bargaining agreement this Friday.

After Mamdani spoke, James took the microphone to discuss her experience on the picket line at Legal Aid in the 1990s.

“Twenty years ago, or more, I led a strike in front of 100 Centre St., so this brings back memories,” James said. “Rent is too damn high and price-gouging is a thing, it is real, and it’s unfortunate that this city will not reach into its reserves and pay you more money because you are on the front lines.”

Attorney General Letitia James spoke to the crowd on Tuesday.Photo by Shea Vance

Tuesday’s rally was initially set to take place at 26 Federal Plaza, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement have conducted dozens of raids throughout the spring and summer, detaining individuals leaving immigration appointments. During raids, agents are frequently masked and wear plain clothes. The rally was moved due to a high anticipated turnout.

“What individuals need now more than ever is someone on their side, and that is a Legal Aid attorney,” James said. “Someone who will defend the rights of marginalized and vulnerable populations, someone who will go against corporate landlords, someone who will stand up, someone who will not be afraid, will not break, will not bend, will not bow. That, my friends, is a Legal Aid attorney.”

The rally included remarks from City Council Member and Chair of the Labor Committee Carmen De La Rosa (D-Manhattan), City Council Member and Chair of the Finance Committee Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), and various union leaders.

While some chapters have already begun striking, most of the unionized lawyers with expiring contracts are either gearing up to strike in the coming days or continuing bargaining indefinitely. At Legal Aid, the bargaining committee is returning to the table this week to try and agree to a contract.

In a previous statement to amNewYork, Legal Aid CEO Twyla Carter wrote that the union’s decision to “officially terminate the collective bargaining agreement does not change our full commitment to continuing negotiations in good faith.”

“We agree with ALAA that we have made good progress across the table to date,” Carter wrote.

NYLAG Director of Communications Sara Rodriguez pointed amNewYork to NYLAG’s bargaining update page, where NYLAG has published a statement on the union’s decision to strike.

“It is deeply disheartening that the Union has chosen to strike — leaving immigrants facing detention, tenants facing eviction, and tens of thousands of New Yorkers in need to fend for themselves — when we have offered the biggest wage increase in the history of our organization,” NYLAG’s statement reads.

In a statement to amNewYork, Carter wrote that Legal Aid leaders “look forward to resuming negotiations with the union tomorrow and Thursday.”

“Our goal remains the same, which is to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the vital contributions of our staff attorneys and strengthens the long-term sustainability of a career at Legal Aid,” Carter wrote. “LAS will continue to operate in the event of a strike. If a strike is called, we will take the necessary steps to minimize the impact on the people and communities we serve.”

Spokespeople for the Goddard Riverside Law Project, Urban Justice Center, and CAMBA, did not provide comment in time for publication.