Two more New York-based member shops of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys have reached tentative agreements with their managers after almost a week on strike.

Unionized staff at the Center for Appellate Litigation and Office of the Appellate Defender announced Thursday they are the latest members of the ALAA coming back to work, after the New York Legal Aid Group and The Bronx Defenders struck deals to end their walkouts earlier this week.

"We are grateful that we reached a tentative agreement yesterday," CAL said in a statement to Law360 Pulse Friday. "Our staff returned to work today committed to the important work of fighting for our clients. At its core, this strike reflected deeply held concerns — shared by management and staff — about the workloads and salaries of public defenders. CAL, like all public defender offices in New York City, is underfunded. What an underfunded public defender's office means for staff is that their salaries do not reflect the exceptional legal representation they provide to our clients. CAL remains committed to advocating for additional funding so that our staff can be paid what they deserve."

The CAL deal came after its union said earlier this week its managers have indicated willingness to move on economic demands, though it was also seeking caseload protections after reporting last week that their managers' most recent offer would have increased their workloads.

While the union's recent statement announcing the deal did not directly mention caseload protections, it did win several economic and noneconomic provisions, including a $60,000 wage floor — a notable increase from the $49,000 floor it had until now.

The union said it also secured raises for every worker, back pay for strikers, 2% cost of living adjustments for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, 24 weeks of paid parental leave, four weeks of paid sabbatical leave every six years, 80% paid short-term disability, bereavement leave for pregnancy loss, office closures from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1, and more telecommuting days for several workers.

"These wins are possible thanks to our incredible bargaining committee, our membership's unity and determination, and the support and solidarity of our union siblings across the [ALAA]," the CAL union said Thursday in a post on Instagram.

The Office of the Appellate Defender union has not yet shared publicly any information about its tentative agreement, but said details will follow. The union reported last week it offered to drop its demands for better free speech protections — a point of contention raised by several ALAA shops following the October 2023 attack on Israel and in the wake of the ensuing war between Israel and Hamas — but declined its managers' counteroffer to accept its terms in exchange for a one-time bonus.

The OAD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The ALAA shops for the Urban Justice Center, the Goddard Riverside Law Project and CAMBA legal services remain on strike. The largest group, consisting of nearly 1,100 unionized members of New York Legal Aid, dodged a walkout with a tentative deal just days before its Friday deadline. The Appellate Advocates also reached an agreement before its strike deadline.

The ALAA represents 3,000 public interest attorneys and advocates in the New York City metro Area. Many of its member shops saw their contracts expire on or around the end of June 2025, part of a sectoral bargaining strategy the union hopes will deliver better contracts for workers.

--Additional reporting by Braden Campbell. Editing by Covey Son.