Brooklyn Defender Services union goes on strike

Source: Queens Daily Eagle

July 16, 2026

By Noah Powelson

Over 500 attorneys and legal staff at the city’s second-largest public defender organization went on strike Thursday.

Unionized staff at Brooklyn Defender Services – which has about 500 attorneys representing indigent clients in criminal, immigration, and family court cases in the city’s two largest boroughs – officially went on strike Thursday morning, both the organization and the union confirmed.

The union, a chapter of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys, and leadership of Brooklyn Defender Services failed to reach an agreement on a new labor contract – the previous contract expired on June 30 – by the strike deadline voted on by the union. A union spokesperson said the last bargaining session began on Wednesday morning and continued on through Thursday morning just before the strike deadline, but no deal was made in time.

Union contract demands include a higher wage floor for all staff, improved health insurance premiums, flexible remote work options and more paid-time-off. A disagreement over a change to the length of a probationary period for new hires has also held up negotiations. The union said BDS management is attempting to extend the probationary period from six months to a year, a change the union said they won’t accept in a new contract.


The Brooklyn Defender Services union went on strike on Thursday morning. Eagle file photo by Noah Powelson

Read more: https://queenseagle.com/all/2026/7/16/brooklyn-defender-services-union-goes-on-strike