Greater Boston Legal Services
Employment Unit
Boston, MA
The Employment Law Unit (EU) of GBLS, New England's oldest nonprofit legal services organization, is dedicated to helping low-wage workers in the Greater Boston area to fight exploitation and abuse in the workplace. EU provides free legal representation to individual workers (with a focus on low-wage immigrant workers), does community-based outreach and legal education, and represents grassroots community-based organizations in systemic policy campaigns to improve wages, job opportunities, job security and benefits for low-income working families. Most of EU’s staff are members of UAW Local 2320, the National Organization of Legal Services Workers. They work closely with the Massachusetts labor movement, often joining forces with the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and individual unions to advocate for low-wage workers' rights before the state legislature and administrative agencies.
The Peggy Browning Fund Fellow would work with six attorneys and a senior paralegal who make up EU. The Unit attempts to hire at least 6 law students during the summer and GBLS as a whole hires approximately 60 summer students so there is lots of peer support available. The Fellow would do legal research and writing and work on cases which include cases involving denial of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, nonpayment of wages (including minimum wage and overtime claims), employment discrimination, family and medical leave violations, tax controversies, barriers to employment for those with criminal records, and other problems with working conditions and the exercise of employment related rights. For example, EU just settled a federal class action for back wages for illegally withheld overtime and other wages on behalf of ove 700 workers, many of whom were detained, and a few of whom were deported following an ICE raid on a factory.
The first 3 to 4 weeks on the job include intensive training in intake and UI law. All Unit students participate in a special UI project handling intakes on a rotating basis for individuals seeking representation in their claims for unemployment insurance. This provides the foundation for representing clients in UI.
In addition to handling UI hearings and appeals, depending on the particular student's language capacity, he or she would also assist with the Employment Unit's weekly intake and outreach in some of the Boston area's low-income immigrant communities serving the Latino, Haitian and Brazilian communities. In addition, the student would have an opportunity to work on one or more EU policy campaigns which include improving conditions for day laborers, securing paid sick days, and improvements to the UI system and to the enforcement of wages, particularly for immigrant workers. Students can also work on tax controversies and assist clients in clearing criminal records.
This position is open to students at all levels but priority will be given to students with a demonstrated interest in or background with plaintiff-side employment law, union-side labor law, or advocacy on behalf of immigrant workers. Fluency in Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Portuguese is strongly preferred but not required and all students who have strong community ties are encouraged to apply.
The total ten-week stipend for this fellowship will be $4,500.
Address cover letter to:
Elba Aviles, Senior Paralegal
Greater Boston Legal Services
Employment Unit
ATTN: Peggy Browning Fellowship
197 Friend Street
Boston, MA 02114
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