At what point should the United Auto Workers (UAW) rebrand under a different name? That might seem like a flippant question, but more than half of this union’s membership now works outside auto manufacturing. There’s a reason for the aggressive poaching, since this union’s most recent LM-2 report detailed 391,000 members, which is far below the 1.5 million members of its 1970s heyday.
This shift in the UAW’s demographic is all about self-preservation, so the union is now largely funded by dues from higher ed, museum, movie theater, and casino workers. Also, attorneys? Yep, and UAW Local 2325 originally encompassed only New York City public interest lawyers but has expanded to include public defender (PD) nonprofit workers across the US.
Over the past few months, the union has waged several PD strikes in New York City, Texas, and Detroit.
A dramatic strike in the UAW’s backyard
Earlier this month in Detroit, 90 Neighborhood Defender Service workers–about 60 PDs along with social workers, and investigators–went on strike at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center. Shawn Fain joined the picket line and issued a “shame on you” to district judges while accusing them of intimidation. One attorney had been held in contempt over the scheduling chaos that befell the courthouse.
In response to Fain’s criticism, Chief District Court Judge William McConico pointed out how, strike or not, the county is bound to “manage its docket in a way that maintains fairness and continuity for all parties.”
Indeed, the ruckus that Fain raised adds to the disruption that these strikes can do to communities. For 11 days, the UAW effectively shuttered a nonprofit service that provides constitutionally mandated legal services for around 50% of Wayne County defendants who can’t afford representation. Taking these attorneys out of the courtroom throws a wrench in the wheels of justice, which already run notoriously slowly.
Multiple prosecutors spoke about the chaos from this single strike, and although Wayne County judges did their best to hand off cases to other counsel, one lawyer pointed out there are simply “too many public defense cases for outside court-appointed attorneys to take.”
A trio of Big Apple strikes
Three PD strikes throughout New York City boroughs involved disputes over workloads, healthcare benefits, and wage increases. On that final subject, the union didn’t exactly score astronomical money:
- 300 The Bronx Defenders workers went back to work after 11 days with a tentative contract including 3% annual wage boosts and more paid leave days.
- 140 Harlem’s Neighborhood Defender Service also went on an 11-day strike and, likewise, received a 3% annual wage increase in their tentative deal.
- 500 Brooklyn Defender Services went on strike for 5 days and reached a deal that has not yet been disclosed to the public, although the union did issue a vague claim of “significant” raises.
Everything’s biggish in Texas, including strikes
In July, at least 200 San Marcos Public Defender attorneys and support workers walked off the job with few details revealed about the 3-year contract that brought them back to work after 7 days.
How far can the UAW take its legal dreams?
The good news for the legal profession is that public interest staffers are likely the limit for the UAW’s attorney organizing. Private law firms are relatively resistant to union infiltration for various reasons including ethical considerations. And as mentioned above, wage increases following these PD strikes aren’t anything to write home about, so these aren’t exactly inspiring results that will allow unions to topple the entire legal sector.
That reality doesn’t do much to ease the chaos that some courthouses have experienced this summer, but at least there’s a limit to the UAW madness.
