NLG Staff Union

UAW NOLSW logo - local 2320

**If you work for the NLG, and are not in the NLG Staff Union, please contact Union leadership!**

**If you are a NLG chapter, or a committee, project, or other group affiliated with the NLG, and you’d like to hire people to work for your group, please contact Union leadership**

What is the National Lawyers Guild Staff Union, and who are its members?

The National Lawyers Guild Staff Union (“NLG Staff Union”) is the union for all permanent, non-managerial employees of all NLG-affiliated entities, including the national office, all chapters, projects, and any other NLG-affiliated entities. ​​We provide support to and solidarity with one another as NLG staff. We also strive to build a positive working environment for all as we work together and with Guild leadership and all the volunteers to do the work of the Guild and further its values and objectives.

The NLG Staff Union was founded in the late 1980s and currently has 29 members across the following ten NLG-affiliated entities:

  • National Office of the NLG
  • NLG Massachusetts Chapter
  • NLG New York City Chapter
  • NLG San Francisco/Bay Area (SFBA) Chapter
  • NLG Los Angeles Chapter
  • NLG Detroit Chapter
  • NLG Chicago Chapter
  • National Immigration Project of the NLG
  • National Police Accountability Project of the NLG
  • Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice

The NLG Staff Union is a unit of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers / United Auto Workers Local 2320 (NOLSW / UAW Local 2320). NOLSW is a national union representing individuals who work in federally-funded legal services programs, as well as workers in law offices, advocacy organizations, and other social services programs.

NOLSW was founded in 1978, and in 1981 affiliated with District 65 of the United Auto Workers. In 1993, NOLSW was chartered as UAW Local 2320. Today, NOLSW has over 100 units nationwide and over 4,500 members.

Learn more about NOLSW here.
Learn more about UAW here.

Contact Information of National Lawyers Guild Staff Union Leadership:
Chair, Jane Clayton – nlgunioncochairs@gmail.com
Steward, Matt Vogel – nlgunionstewards@gmail.com

All permanent, non-managerial staff at NLG-affiliated entities are required to join the NLG Staff Union within 30 days of hire per the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). In order to formally join the Union, you must fill out and submit a “green card” to Union leadership. Green cards can be completed digitally using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and can be submitted digitally to union leadership at the email addresses provided above.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) can be found here.

A “cheat sheet” of requirements for employers and rights for employees under the current CBA can be found here.

A blank Union member “green card” can be found here.