With just over a month left on their contract, unionized attorneys at Brooklyn Defender Services say negotiations have hit a wall and warn that a strike is still very much in play. The bargaining unit, which includes hundreds of attorneys and staff, many hired last year when BDS absorbed Queens Defenders’ caseload, says management has not meaningfully responded to a full contract proposal delivered weeks ago.
In an open letter sent May 18, the bargaining committee demanded that management either accept or seriously counter a package that would raise salaries and lock in protections for remote work, free speech and caseload limits, according to Queens Daily Eagle. The union says its offer also includes a $75,000 wage floor and a revamped step system meant to help attorneys keep pace with the region’s cost of living.
Brooklyn Defender Services executive director Lisa Schreibersdorf told the Eagle that the stalemate is tied to murky city and state budget pictures and that New York City “has not provided the funding we need to give staff the salaries we feel they deserve.” She also said BDS would “make a salary offer to the union despite the difficulty of uncertain funding,” signaling management’s intent to put numbers on the table even while the broader budget remains unsettled, according to Queens Daily Eagle.
Union History And Escalation
The current fight is the latest flare-up in a year-plus conflict between BDS leadership and the local chapter of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys. ALAA’s executive board formally condemned Schreibersdorf in a resolution adopted Oct. 1, 2025, accusing management of trying to undermine the union, according to ALAA. Union newsletters and prior reporting also detail pickets and unfair labor practice grievances filed with the National Labor Relations Board last year, according to UAW Region 9A.
Budget Squeeze And The City
Public defender offices across New York City have warned elected officials that they need roughly $100 million to $150 million more next year to recruit and retain attorneys, testimony to a City Council committee shows. During that hearing, Schreibersdorf and other defender leaders said low salaries and rising caseloads are pushing experienced lawyers out of the work, and that uncertainty around city and state budgets makes it difficult to lock in bargaining figures, according to City Council testimony.
Queens Expansion Raises Stakes
Brooklyn Defender Services formally took over Queens Defenders’ criminal defense contract last year and opened a Queens office in July 2025, bringing in thousands of additional cases and staff. Union leaders say that move expanded the bargaining unit and raised the stakes for any future work action that could ripple through multiple boroughs. BDS announced the Queens office and described the transfer of cases and personnel in a press release outlining the integration plan, per Brooklyn Defender Services.
Legal Implications
Beyond wages and workplace rules, the dispute carries legal and service delivery consequences. Union grievances, earlier pickets and allegations that management interfered with union democracy have already triggered formal complaints and added to outside scrutiny. City reporting and labor coverage show that last year’s rolling labor actions at ALAA-represented organizations produced a series of tentative agreements and highlighted how a prolonged showdown could disrupt court calendars and client representation, according to City Limits.
What comes next: the union has asked for a prompt counteroffer from management before the June 30, 2026, expiration date, and negotiators say the details of any final package will ride on city and state budget decisions in the coming weeks. If talks stay frozen, members say they are prepared to consider job actions, while elected officials and defender leaders watch to see whether a concrete salary proposal lands in time to avert a labor showdown.
