Staff members at the Albany County Office of the Public Defender will rally outside the Albany County Office Building at 112 State Street in Albany at 12:30 p.m. on June 26 to demand that the County recognize their choice to unionize together with the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys–UAW Local 2325. Albany County Public Defender staff include a collaborative team of attorneys, caseworkers, investigators, paralegals, legal secretaries, and other professional staff who work tirelessly to defend the rights of indigent individuals in Albany County. Since an overwhelming majority of staff members announced their intent to unionize together on March 2, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy has refused to voluntarily recognize a union that includes both attorney and professional staff, forcing divisive, dilatory, and costly litigation.
Staff members are united in their demand that Albany County change course by voluntarily recognizing their union and begin the process of moving forward together to provide the best possible representation for the people of Albany County. Their goals include protecting the quality and integrity of public defense in Albany County, securing equitable compensation and benefits for staff, increasing staff input in office decision-making, and promoting the organizational transparency necessary to carry out their critical and constitutionally mandated work. Public Defender staff know from their work in court that having a meaningful voice at the table is essential to achieving just outcomes — and the workplace should be no different.
Ava Agree, an attorney working on criminal cases has stated, “A union representing all staff at the Public Defender’s Office is critical because we all need a seat at the table to assure we are supported over the long haul and that the people of Albany County get the high-quality representation they deserve.”
If their union is recognized, staff at the Albany County Office of the Public Defender will join more than 3,600 members of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (ALAA)–UAW Local 2325. ALAA–UAW Local 2325 is a union of legal and social service workers, including attorneys, paralegals, social workers, investigators, receptionists, interpreters, advocates, administrative staff, and counselors, with chapters at dozens of nonprofits and government agencies across New York State. The union represents members at public defender and public-interest legal organizations, including The Legal Aid Society, The Bronx Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service, Queens Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, and the Schenectady County Office of the Public Defender. The Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys is the oldest union of attorneys, legal services workers, and advocates for the indigent in the United States, and it is dedicated to supporting the critical work of the Albany County Office of the Public Defender in representing the people of Albany County.