Queens Defenders fires two employees active in unionization effort

The public defender nonprofit Queens Defenders fired two pro-union employees on Monday, less than two months after staff launched a union drive, the Queens Daily Eagle and New York Focus report.

Employees in support of unionization and a union organizer said that the decision to fire social worker Betsy Vasquez and attorney Anna Avalone was retaliation for backing the union. The staff-led effort to organize under the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys was launched in December.

Queens Defenders Executive Director Lori Zeno did not respond to requests for comment, and the organization said it did not comment on internal human relations matters. Early last month, Zeno referred to the union as a “mob-like group” that uses “threats” and “coercion” in a two-hour virtual meeting with staff. 

During that meeting, initially reported on by New York Focus, she touted job security at the organization, saying: “You get to be part of this QD family as long as you want. In 25 years, five attorneys and one social worker have been let go … none of them were surprised. They had all been given warnings and chances to deal with whatever the issues were.” However, Vasquez said she received no warning and was told she was fired for “performance-based” issues but was given no evidence of shortcomings.

The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys is now seeking to file charges against the nonprofit with the National Labor Relations Board and intends to request that both employees be reinstated with full back pay.