In a statement to Law360 Pulse, deputy executive director Shannon M. Anglero said that "any suggestion that NDS offered employees improper financial incentives to return to work is false."
"NDS has not offered payments to employees in exchange for crossing the picket line," she said. "NDS has implemented temporary operational measures to ensure uninterrupted legal representation for our clients during the work stoppage."
The statement comes after the NDS union, which went on strike one week ago, announced Tuesday that it has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing their managers of offering unlawful incentives to cross the picket line.
The union also accuses managers of violating its current collective bargaining agreement through an email sent to staff the night before the strike and later shared with Law360 Pulse, which read that "employees who become ill at the outset of the strike and request sick leave must provide a physician's certification verifying the illness. If appropriate documentation is not provided, the absence will be treated as participation in the strike. Sick leave will not be approved for employees who are already participating in the strike."
Anglero, however, called this characterization "misleading."
"The communication to employees addressed requests for sick leave made at the outset of the strike," she said. "Employees requesting sick leave under those circumstances may be asked to provide appropriate medical documentation so NDS can distinguish between sick leave and participation in the strike and administer its leave policies consistently."
The NDS union is one of two unions represented by the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys — a United Automobile Workers affiliate that represents more than 3,500 legal services workers in and around New York City — who remain on strike after their contracts expired on June 30. The Bronx Defenders union walked off the job Monday.
"We deeply value our staff and remain at the bargaining table, fully prepared to continue working toward a fair and sustainable agreement that supports our employees while ensuring we can continue serving our clients," Anglero said.
--Additional reporting by Daniel Moritz-Rabson. Editing by Drashti Mehta.
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