DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Hundreds of Brooklyn Defender Services workers picketed across Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights on Monday, marking the third official day of a strike by staff who provide free legal representation and advocacy to low-income New Yorkers.
The workers are demanding higher wages and improved working conditions, including work-from-home benefits. Pickets were held outside the organization’s offices at 195 Montague St., 180 Livingston St. and 330 Jay St.
Picketers outside 195 Montague St. held signs and chanted in support of the union’s demands. Photo: Agatha Scaggiante/Brooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Defender Services is a nonprofit public defense office. It is funded by a combination of city and state funding, and topped up by grants from other charitable organizations as well as private partners and funders.
The organization was established in the mid-1990s, after then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani broke the city’s exclusive contract with the unionized Legal Aid Society when workers went on strike. The Brooklyn Defender Services was one of several new non-union legal organizations that sprang up as a result, but later unionized in 2021.
Strike captain and Senior Paralegal Mark Laforest spoke to the Brooklyn Eagle. Photo: Agatha Scaggiante/Brooklyn Eagle
Strike captain and Senior Paralegal Mark Laforest said that there had been some progress in negotiations since strikes began. He spoke to the Brooklyn Eagle at the 195 Montague St. picket line. “There have been meetings and I think there’s been some movement, but we’re not all the way there yet,” Laforest said. “There’s going to be another meeting today, and hopefully, you know, we can get this resolved and get back to work.”
Although the strike officially began on Thursday, workers have only been picketing outside since Friday, as the wildfire smoke blanketing the city made the air quality too dangerous.
Also striking is Queens Defender Services. The organizations are linked, and the workers are striking as part of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys UAW Local 2325 union.
Nicole Petrov is an adolescent social worker who was picketing outside 195 Montague St..
Photo: Agatha Scaggiante/Brooklyn Eagle
A key point in negotiations is the demand for work-from-home benefits. “We weren’t getting the same work-from-home benefits that higher-paid employees were,” Laforest said. “(Commuting is) a bigger expense for us than it is for other staff members … so that makes it more unfair that we’re not getting that benefit of time.”
“Our work is so essential, and we would like to just get back to it, but for whatever reason management is holding out on these things,” Laforest added.
The workers went on strike the day after their regular payday on the 15th, and are not currently set to be paid for strike days.
“The longer things go, it just gets more difficult for people to stay out here and not get full pay and everything,” Laforest said, “But I think if we can stay strong, the energy’s good and there’s some progress.”
Liza Harbison is a social worker in criminal defense who was picketing outside 195 Montague St. Photo: Agatha Scaggiante/Brooklyn Eagle
Liza Harbison, a social worker in criminal defense picketing outside 195 Montague St., told the Eagle: “We just want a better contract so this work can be more sustainable for us. I wish we didn’t have to strike, but I’m energized, I love my clients, and I’m ready to do this work forever.”
Nicole Petrov, an adolescent social worker also picketing in Brooklyn Heights, said, “I’m really enjoying how motivated everyone is. We have a lot of different departments, and management is definitely trying to pit us against each other, but we care as much about each other as we do our clients, and that’s been pretty evident.”
Strikes will continue indefinitely until the dispute is resolved.