(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) - Workers at the Empire Justice Center (EJC), who provide Civil Legal Services to New Yorkers in need across New York State, have won a decisive victory to Unionize.

In the final Union Election tally, 72% of EJC’s 40 Staff Members voted to join the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys-United Auto Workers (ALAA-UAW) Local 2325).

Staff announced their Unionization drive in late January, citing the importance of building a more transparent accountable, and equitable organization, which can be built through collective bargaining. 

Founded in Rochester, the Empire Justice Center is a non-profit center for Public Interest Law providing free and low-cost legal services to Upstate New York low-income clients.

Its practice areas include housing, public benefits, immigration, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, domestic violence, Civil Rights, LGBTQ issues and crime victims’ support.

In addition to offices at the Downtown Rochester Telesca Justice Center, EJC fields offices in Albany, Yonkers and White Plains.

“After over a year of organizing, we celebrate our hard-fought consensus to negotiate our workplace conditions on equal footing with the executive leaders of Empire Justice Center,” said Tomás Lucero, a Senior Paralegal. “Now we turn our attention to identifying the Rank-and-File’s central labor concerns and working to fully address them in collective bargaining with management.” 

By joining ALAA, EJC Workers join more than 3,000 other Legal Services Workers in New York State who are organizing to improve the quality of legal services to their clients and communities. 

ALAA-UAW Local 2325 is the Nation’s oldest Labor Union of Attorneys and Legal Services Workers.

The ALAA represents Workers at the Legal Aid Society, Neighborhood Defender Service, The Bronx Defenders, Queens Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, New York Legal Assistance Group and dozens more organizations.

To Read The Union’s Press Release, Go To: Empire Justice Center Organized on X: "📢We won our union election on Monday🎉💖 ... and, yes, we are still smiling ear-to-ear about it! Press release below👀👀 @TimesUnion @CapPressRoom @Newsday @RochesterBeacon @DandC @WXXINews @TheBuffaloNews @CityLimitsNews https://t.co/Tw3pnw1BYn" / X (twitter.com)

And For More, Go To: Empire Justice Center staff plan to form a union - Rochester BeaconRochester Beacon