The nonprofit legal organization Mobilization for Justice (MFJ) and the union representing 110 lawyers, paralegals and staffers who provide free legal help to vulnerable New Yorkers will renew bargaining talks on Wednesday, nearly a month after those workers walked out of the job.

The lawyers and paralegals, who are members of the Legal Services Staff Association (LSSA) UAW Local 2320, have been on strike since Feb. 23, following a vote where 93% of them rejected management’s latest contract proposal.

The union did so because, they say, the proposed wage increases would not keep up with inflation and because they believe the offer does not address the organization’s staffing and attrition problems. Even before the strike, Mobilization for Justice had 17 vacant positions, which meant bigger caseloads for the remaining hundred-plus staffers.

Wednesday’s bargaining session marks the first time the two sides will meet since the strike began last month. While the organization’s lawyers and paralegals have been on the picket line, management has taken up their caseload of roughly 15,000 clients who would otherwise have to navigate housing and immigration cases on their own.

Kaelin Middleton, 27, has an open case in Housing Court in The Bronx, where he is awaiting the arrival of a city-funded “one-shot” grant that will cover the more than $32,000 he and his family owe in back rent. 

While he said his attorney and MFJ have gone “above and beyond” for him in his case, he said, the work stoppage has made it “really hard for them to, like, get their paperwork finished, check things online — it’s become a real huge hindrance.”

Even with the challenges, he “absolutely” supports the strike. “Even though it’s been really tough on the attorneys and the union for everything that they’ve been going through,” his lawyer, he said,  “has been above and beyond, she’s been there to my corner, updating me on everything.”

Brenden Ross, a senior staff attorney at the organization’s Mental Health Law Project and a member of the union’s bargaining committee, said he is “hopeful” that the union and management can make progress on a deal Wednesday.

“Every week that we’re out, every day that we’re out, it is hurting our clients in court, because management refuses to come to the table,” he added.

The decision to strike, potentially leaving vulnerable clients in the lurch, was not an easy one, he told THE CITY during a rally the union held outside City Hall on Tuesday. “It’s because I really believe that my colleagues who are out there doing this work every single day tirelessly for New Yorkers deserve better,” he said. “They deserve a fair contract.”

‘Ready to Get Back to our Clients’ 

Mobilization for Justice is one of several nonprofits that provide free legal services to eligible clients in Housing Court through the city-funded Right to Counsel program, which advocates say has failed to keep up with demand and has not been sufficiently funded to serve all who qualify.

According to the Right to Counsel NYC Coalition, 53.7% of all tenants with eviction cases were represented by an attorney as of the week of Dec. 3, 2023, the most recent available on their online tracker.

While MFJ’s attorneys are not alone in dealing with bloated caseloads as demand for their services has increased under the law, the union says the organization has failed to stay competitive with its peers, leading to burnout and attrition issues.

In the past year, according to the union, the organization has lost 23 workers while struggling to fill vacant positions. In addition to housing and tenant rights, Mobilization for Justice’s areas of practice include legal services related to immigration, bankruptcy, government benefits and disability rights.

Meanwhile, clients’ cases are in the hands of managers who may not be familiar with them.

In a statement on Feb. 25, two days after the strike began, Mobilization for Justice Executive Director Tiffany Liston said the organization was “disappointed by the union’s decision to strike. Our proposal included pay increases designed to achieve better pay parity within MFJ, and reasonable increases to account for past inflation, putting MFJ’s compensation package near the top end of nonprofit legal services organizations.”

The organization said it proposed one-time bonuses for both support staff and legal staff, and raises of up to 24.92% and 21.88% to front office and legal staff respectively over the three-year life of the contract.

At the City Hall rally, the union was joined by other UAW members and supporters including City Council members Carmen De La Rosa (D-Manhattan) and Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn).

Union and bargaining committee member Rafaella Abeo, a housing paralegal in The Bronx, said she is eager to work out a deal. “We’re ready to get back to work and we’re ready to get back to our clients, but we’re not going to do it without getting adequately compensated,” she told THE CITY.