Public defenders in the Bronx have entered the ninth day of a strike after walking off the job in their fight for a new contract, according to News 12 New York. The picket line has become a daily fixture on the sidewalk outside their offices in the Concourse Village section of the borough.
More than 300 union workers at the Bronx Defenders are taking part in the strike, including attorneys, social workers and staff. They have been without a contract since June, and the two sides remain at odds despite several rounds of talks.
According to the union, the dispute now comes down to two major demands: a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment and a fair hybrid work policy. Members say they have made compromises but feel management has not met them halfway.
The Bronx Defenders said that at the third bargaining meeting, management agreed to the union's request for separate pay scales for attorneys and social workers, and offered increased pay for social workers while preserving key benefits. The union, however, rejected that offer.
For striking workers, the fight is about the sustainability of the job itself. "This work is just way too difficult and we're constantly overworked to be told that we can't get things like reprieve leave or sabbatical or hybrid work policies," one union member said.
The walkout is already being felt in the courtroom. Last week, a high-profile trial was postponed to allow for a lack of legal representation, and the Bronx Defenders handles roughly 20,000 cases a year, work that has been disrupted as the strike drags on.
Both the union and management say that, if they can agree on anything, it is that they want to return their focus to defending vulnerable clients. As of the report, however, the two sides had not yet set a date for their next meeting.