Listen: Legal Aide Society Staffers Hit the Streets after More Than a Year Without a Contract

1199SEIU members at New York City’s Legal Aide Society have gone without a contract for over a year.

By Bob Hennelly

On this episode of Frontline Voices on WBAI, Samar Ali, a Research Professor of Political Science and Law at Vanderbilt University, talks about how last week’s landmark Supreme Court decision on Louisiana vs. Callais could reshape the political landscape in America.

We also go live from the picket line at 1199SEIU’s lunchtime informational picket outside the Legal Aid Society in New York City.

Well over 600 Legal Aid employees, who work in essential support titles like social worker and legal researcher, have been without a contract for over a year.

Scores of rank and file members engaged with pedestrians handing out flyers that laid out their action items.

“The 1199SEIU members include paralegals, social workers, litigation assistants, and client advocates, providing critical legal and social services to some of New York City’s most vulnerable communities,” according to the union flyer. “Yet, despite their contributions, they continue to face wages that lag behind comparable roles at major legal services organizations across the city, along with policies that fail to meet the realities of their work and lives.”

Listen to the entire show below: