Posts tagged public defenders
Marion County Public Defenders want pay bump in first contract after unionizing
September 6, 2024 // The office is understaffed, and low pay is one reason why. Employees say the shortage has led to unmanageable caseloads for public defenders and delays in the justice system for the individuals they're representing. The big picture: The public defenders voted to unionize last year, adding the office's approximately 230 non-management employees to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 481.
The Liberty Justice Center Sues Union for Forcing Jewish Lawyers to Support Speech They Consider Antisemitic
April 12, 2024 // Congress recently launched an investigation into the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys due to whistleblower reports of antisemitism by union members. The Liberty Justice Center is suing the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, Legal Aid Society, and the City of New York on behalf of Mr. Levine and Mr. Popper, alleging that these defendants are violating the attorneys’ First Amendment rights by forcing them to subsidize political speech as a condition of employment. The Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment prohibits the government from compelling a person to subsidize a union’s speech. In Janus v. AFSCME, the Court held that a government could not force its employees to pay a union as a condition of their employment. And in Harris v. Quinn, the Court held that a government could not compel recipients of government funds, through a state program to provide services to other private individuals, to pay money to a union.
Maryland public defenders overwhelmingly vote to unionize
December 20, 2022 // Employees at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to unionize, the culmination of a more than two-year organizing effort that required a change in state law. One unit consisting of administrative and support staff voted 45-1 to make the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Maryland Council 3 its exclusive bargaining representative. Meanwhile, another unit covering assistant public defenders, intake staff, social workers and investigators voted 233-8 in favor of a union.
As staffing declines, Contra Costa County labor unions push for better contract
June 28, 2022 // Public defenders and district attorneys are usually on opposing sides in the courtroom, but staff members from both departments have marched in lockstep at recent rallies, urging Contra Costa County to recruit and retain more people to lighten their workloads. Nine labor unions that represent more than 6,000 workers, including prosecutors, public defenders, engineers, IT staff and public service workers, among others, have joined forces to argue for better compensation in their next three-year contract — a move that might keep employees from departing for greener pastures. Sean Stalbaum, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, Karen Mitchoff, county Board of Supervisors, Corey Hallman,
Louisville public defenders clash with management over union effort
June 7, 2022 // It is increasingly common for the people charged with upholding that constitutional guarantee to turn to organizing their offices. In April 2020, the American Bar Association reported that unionization among public defenders was on the rise. Cities such as Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania have seen their public defenders move toward unionization. Jefferson County, Ben Basil, Leo Smith, Kentucky Bar Association, Kentucky Supreme Court, Cassie Chambers Armstrong, Lexington Herald-Leader, American Bar Association,
Thousands of local government employees could get union rights in Colorado
December 14, 2021 // “Collective bargaining is a fundamental right that should be available to all Coloradans regardless of where they work. Our current laws actually deny this basic right to some of the most important workers in our state, including to tens of thousands of local public employees,” said House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar