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Staff organizer for the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys — United Auto Workers Local 2325 (ALAA), Rita Akincilar, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the history of unionizing at the Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS). Akincilar talked about the employer’s union-busting tactics during contract negotiations and the workplace conditions and rules that led to a lunchtime picket at the BDS offices.
The workers at the Brooklyn Defender Services have finally been recognized as a union. Original plans to organize began in 2016 when the attorneys and support staff were the only two groups of the company working to unionize. Due to a successful union-busting campaign by the employer, those organizing efforts ended. It wasn’t until 2020 that another organizing attempt was made. This successful attempt resulted in a 70 percent approval vote to unionize in 2022, Akincilar said.
In the first organizing attempt in 2016, BDS hired a union-busting law firm to help create a divide between the two groups working to negotiate, ending that attempt. This time, management again tried to utilize the same union-busting law firm’s services. However, by ensuring all employees knew the goals, they succeeded where the previous attempt failed. Despite winning recognition as a union, BDS is drawing out the negotiations with unfair counters, said Akincilar.
The workplace conditions at the BDS historically lead to a higher-than-average attrition rate. However, since efforts to unionize began in 2021, the BDS has the highest attrition rate for workplaces in New York City. Akincilar believes the lack of a salary scale for employees adds to high attrition rates. Unfortunately, Akincilar said the wage negotiations are far apart so far.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
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