Neighborhood Defender Services
Coverage of Neighborhood Defender Services in the Nexus archive.
- Historic Harlem public defenders strike ends after 11 days
Harlem public defenders ended an 11-day strike after reaching a tentative agreement with Neighborhood Defender Services management, securing salary increases and maintaining no-cost healthcare. The strike, the first in the union’s history and the city’s longest public defender strike since 1982, caused court delays and left clients without their usual attorneys.
- Bronx Defenders union walks off the job, joining ongoing strike of attorneys who represent court clients that can’t afford to pay
The Bronx Defenders Union, representing public defenders in New York City, joined ongoing strikes by legal workers over economic demands, with 300 staff walking off the job to protest pay disparities for non-attorney roles. This follows similar strikes by the Harlem-based Neighborhood Defender Services and Brooklyn Defender Services, straining the city's court system as unions demand fair compensation for all staff.
- State’s top prosecutor lends support to Harlem public defenders on first day of defense attorney strike over pay, healthcare issues
Over 200 public defenders from Neighborhood Defender Services in Harlem, Detroit, and Texas went on strike to demand better pay and healthcare, citing stalled negotiations since April. The state’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Letitia James, joined the picket line and urged management to meet workers’ demands.