Law360 (July 21, 2026, 4:55 PM EDT) -- More than 300 unionized workers at legal aid organization The Bronx Defenders are set to walk out on July 27 if they cannot agree on a contract with the legal nonprofit's management, according to a Tuesday announcement.

The strike deadline comes as labor actions among New York's public defender organizations ramp up. Currently, three of five union locals organized under the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys — a United Automobile Workers affiliate that represents more than 3,500 legal services workers in and around NYC — are striking or have threatened to strike.

"Management's proposals are an obvious attempt to pit workers against each other," bargaining committee member Emma Caridad Pérez, a criminal defense attorney, said in a statement from the organization. She said as a "wall-to-wall union," members would "fight for a fair contract for all Bronx Defenders."

First organized in 2020, BxD Union-UAW Local 2325 is a public defenders union representing more than 300 attorneys and nonattorney staff at BxD. The union ratified its initial contract in April 2022.

In a statement, BxD leadership said the organization remained committed to providing "zealous, holistic, and client-centered advocacy to people facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives."

"That commitment shapes our work and our decisions every day," it continued. "It has been our North Star in these negotiations and will continue to be as we seek to arrive at a fair and equitable contract, just as we did two years ago, and with the wage reopener last year."

Sticking points in the ongoing negotiation include annual raises, which union leaders said were "minimal" at 3% for investigators, advocates, administrators and social workers.

The proposal by organizational leadership represents a departure from an agreement set four years ago, according to the union, under which social workers' wage increases were tied to those of attorneys "in recognition of the central role social workers play in BxD's holistic defense model."

Union leaders previously told Law360 they were seeking a two-year contract, while managers sought a five-year deal.

Tuesday's announcement came approximately one year after the BxD union last walked off the job in July 2025. The previous strike lasted three days and ended after the sides reached a tentative agreement under which investigators, advocates and administrators were given a $68,500 wage floor, and attorneys and social workers received a guaranteed raise.

On Monday, legal aid union Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem announced its intent to strike beginning on July 24 if it is not able to reach a deal with its leadership team. Like BxD, the legal aid union is a member of the ALAA.

Meanwhile, another ALAA shop, Brooklyn Defender Services, which represents about 500 public defenders and social workers in Brooklyn and Queens, began striking on July 16.

In a vote on July 12, 95% of participant BxD members voted to authorize a strike, with 92% of unit members casting a vote.

--Additional reporting by Andrea Keckley. Editing by Adam LoBelia.

For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.