Office of State Appellate Defender attorneys forming union with AFSCME

Attorneys in the Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender (OSAD) are joining AFSCME Council 31.

OSAD attorneys are court-appointed to represent indigent persons on appeal in criminal cases, ensuring every person’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

Together in their union, OSAD attorneys say they will have a stronger voice for themselves and their clients. Their priorities include closing the salary gap with higher-paid appellate prosecutors, who are also represented by AFSCME, improving hiring and retention through pay and benefits that are competitive with comparable public- and private-sector attorneys, and advocating for the constitutional right to indigent defense.

The local AFSCME affiliate will represent more than 180 assistant appellate defenders, staff attorneys, assistant directors of training and training coordinators who work in the state’s five appellate court districts (based in Chicago, Elgin, Ottawa, Springfield and Mt. Vernon).

In the current organizing campaign, State Appellate Defender James Chadd signed a memorandum of understanding with AFSCME that establishes a fair process for union recognition. The union will submit authorization cards signed by OSAD attorneys to a neutral third party who will determine whether they constitute a majority of the proposed bargaining unit; if they do, OSAD will recognize the union and the parties will begin bargaining their first union contract.