FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 22, 2026                                                                                             

Contact: mediarequests@bds.org 

Brooklyn Defender Services Reaches Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement with ALAA-UAW Local 2325 BDS Union Chapter 

(Brooklyn, NY) – Lisa Schreibersdorf, Executive Director of Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS), released the following statement announcing a tentative collective bargaining agreement with ALAA-UAW Local 2325 BDS Union Chapter: 

“We are pleased to announce that last night, Brooklyn Defender Services reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the BDS Union Chapter of ALAA-UAW Local 2325. This agreement ends a six-day strike and enables Brooklyn Defenders to continue to deliver exceptional legal services to the people of Brooklyn and Queens. Staff attorneys, social workers, and support personnel will be returning to work this morning. The tentative agreement is pending full ratification by union members.

We are thankful to Mayor Mamdani for additional public defense funding, which enabled BDS to provide significant salary increases and hold the line on employee contributions to their health insurance plans.

Every day, New Yorkers are threatened with family separation, incarceration, deportation, and other serious harms in the legal system. As a public defender office serving over 40,000 people across Brooklyn and Queens each year, Brooklyn Defender Services is there to uphold people’s rights, freedom, and dignity.

We are proud of this resolution and are pleased to see our staff return to deliverzealous defense, compassionate advocacy and support to all people in Brooklyn and Queens in need of our help.” 

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Find a PDF of this press release here.