Mobilization for Justice staff are working the picket lines
Staff at Mobilization for Justice (MFJ), an organization that provides free legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers, have been out on strike since this past Feb. 23.
This week, MFJ’s attorneys, paralegals, support staff, receptionists, and front desk workers– have been picketing on the steps of the Bronx and Manhattan Housing Courts.
MFJ’s legal service workers are members of the MFJ Union, which is under the Legal Services Staff Association (LSA Local 2320) and part of the local United Automobile Workers (UAW) union. They announced a strike against MFJ management after being in negotiations for a new contract since mid-December 2023. Ninety-three percent of the MFJ Union’s 110 members voted to reject management’s last contract offer and declared an indefinite strike.
“The last offer that we received from management––which was one of the main, main points of contention before going on strike––was that they were not going to offer more than 2 percent raises for all staff,” MFJ tenant advocate and housing attorney Nikita Salehi-Azhan, who is part of the union, told the AmNews. “And with inflation that everyone has been experiencing, that is actually a pay cut for us. It’s unacceptable because we are fighting for industry-standard salary demands.
“I know that other nonprofits recently negotiated 7 percent raises, so to be offered 2 percent is, obviously, very disrespectful and not anywhere close to bringing us back to where we were pre-inflation,” she added.
The 2 percent raise offer came after MFJ management had reportedly initially offered a 0.25 percent pay increase for its staff.
Calls to the MFJ office for comment about the strike and contract negotiations went to a recorded message, and calls to the organization’s telephone intake helplines were not answered as of March 5. “You have reached Mobilization for Justice,” a recorded message said on one intake helpline. “Our intake line is temporarily closed. If you need assistance, please get in touch with 311 or visit www.lawhelpny.org for support.”
Growing workloads, growing burnout
“We have not been touching work emails, work phones, and have just been on the picket line,” said Salehi-Azhan, who was clear that she was not speaking for all unionized staff but felt that she represented everyone on the picket line. She thinks management is most likely stepping in to pick up the work slack—maybe trying to delay most pending cases. But for now, MFJ offices are partially shut down because its unionized staff is on strike.
The MFJ Union says members have walked out on strike “for fair pay for all workers, improved healthcare benefits, increased work flexibility, and protections from unjust discipline. The MFJ Union developed these demands collectively to address the organization’s ongoing staffing crisis. In the past year, MFJ lost an unprecedented 23 workers, and it is struggling to fill 17 vacant positions. As a result, the remaining staff members have seen their workloads grow and are dealing with burnout on top of losing an estimated 10 percent of real wages to inflation over the last three-year contract.”
MFJ Union says that last year their offices “handled over 15,000 cases city-wide, with the majority of cases in the Bronx and Manhattan Housing Courts.” As a non-profit, the company receives individual and institutional donations; MFJ took in over $25 million, according to its 2023 tax returns. Union members say that management attempts to lowball salaries for company staff only hurts morale and could lead to more staff departures.
The MFJ Union’s last strike against management took place in 2015 and lasted for more than three weeks.
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