Children’s Law Center union strikes for improved wages and conditions in NYC

44 Court St., Brooklyn, where the picket line will be running from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day while the Children’s Law Center staff members are on strike, demanding fair wages and improved working conditions. Screenshot of Google Earth.

Staff members from the Children’s Law Center (CLC), a chapter of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (UAW Local 2325), began a strike on Monday in downtown Brooklyn, demanding fair wages and improved working conditions.

The union represents more than 3,000 legal services workers from more than 24 non-profit organizations, primarily in New York City.

CLC, a 26-year-old nonprofit law firm, specializes in representing children in custody, visitation and guardianship litigation. The CLC staff unionized in 2020 due to growing caseloads and inadequate wages.

In March 2021, the CLC union presented its initial contract proposal to the management. Despite more than 800 days passing since this initial proposal, the union alleges that the CLC management has failed to negotiate in good faith, resulting in a call for a strike.

The strike action coincides with a broader trend of organizing for better pay and conditions among legal and human services organizations across the city.