Massachusetts voters grant public defenders right to unionize

Massachusetts voters approved Question 2, granting employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services the right to form a union and bargain collectively.

The Committee for Public Counsel Services employs about 500 lawyers along with hundreds of paralegals and support staff who represent people who cannot afford private attorneys. Previously, state law barred these workers from negotiating contracts. Organizers bypassed the state legislature to place the issue on the ballot after failing to secure legislative approval.

While the vote grants the right to organize, the employees must still complete several legal steps to achieve official union certification. This move follows a period of labor unrest regarding pay for legal advocates in Massachusetts. In 2024, many private attorneys who took on public cases stopped accepting new work to protest wages that ranged from $65 to $85 per hour. This protest caused courts to dismiss charges because the state could not provide defendants with a lawyer.

In response, the legislature passed a bill that increased the hourly rate by $20 and ordered the agency to hire 300 additional lawyers.