Statement on Wayne County Judge’s Hollow Contempt Claims against Striking Public Defenders by UAW President Shawn Fain

You don’t get to turn the courthouse into a hammer against UAW members at Neighborhood Defender Service because they went on strike for fair treatment in the workplace.

If Judge Darnella Williams-Claybourne is proceeding with criminal charges against two public defenders, members of UAW Local 2325, over missed court dates while on strike, the people of Wayne County have every right to ask: What is going on here? A labor dispute is not a license to punish workers for standing together. It is further outrageous considering that striking workers were locked out of their office building, their case files, their emails, and their calendars.

This is a heavy-handed move that sends a nasty message to every employee who dares to organize, especially those who work in the public interest. It’s unacceptable intimidation.

Going on strike does not mean a public defender suddenly stops caring about clients. It does not mean they turned their backs on the defenseless. And it certainly does not mean they surrendered their rights as workers. Public defenders went on strike last month precisely because they knew they couldn’t continue to do their critical jobs for their clients and our community without creating a more sustainable workplace.

Our members fought for fair wages, healthcare, and better workplace standards. We are proud of the collective bargaining agreement that was reached, and they have been hard at work representing the people of Wayne County since then.

Judge Darnella Williams-Claybourne is the sole judge in Wayne County seeking to punish UAW workers, out of the over forty judges in the county who presided over hearings for which NDS attorneys did not appear during the strike. The UAW demands that the proceedings for criminal contempt be dropped immediately. Workers should not have to choose between their livelihood and their basic right to stand together.