ACLU of Northern California
In 2020, workers at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU NorCal) voted overwhelmingly to join ESC Local 20 with 75% turnout and 98% voting in support of joining our Union. These ACLU NorCal members include Attorneys, Organizers, Researchers, Communications Specialists, Fundraisers, and Administrative Professionals—all of whom play an essential role in advancing the organization’s mission.
Centro Legal de la Raza
Legal professionals at Centro Legal de la Raza are a wall-to-wall unit of professionals including Attorneys, Paralegals, Organizers, and Administrative Staff. These members are on the frontlines of the organization’s fight to protect immigrant workers’ and tenants’ rights.
Disability Rights Advocates
In November 2020, the staff at Disability Rights Advocates joined ESC Local 20. DRA represents people with disabilities and has a long history of protecting workers’ rights. Employees in the unit include Communications Staff, Paralegals, Administrative Staff, and Attorneys. DRA is the eighth legal service nonprofit to join ESC.
East Bay Community Law Center
In 2019, legal professionals at East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) joined ESC Local 20. This group includes Attorneys, Researchers, Social Workers, Therapists, Paralegals, Development Coordinators, Administrative Assistants, Legal Secretaries, and Work-Study Employees.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
ESC represents Attorneys, Engineers, Organizers, Designers, and other non-management staff at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. These workers ratified their first union contract in 2024. ESC members at EFF play a crucial role in carrying out the foundation’s mission of protecting privacy and free expression online.
EPA
In 1979, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) professionals organized for a voice at work with ESC Local 20. Today, Environmental Scientists, Life Scientists, Environmental Engineers, and other professional and technical classifications at the EPA Region 9 are represented by ESC Local 20. EPA professionals’ first contract included a sabbatical leave provision believed to be the first of its kind in any federal labor agreement.
Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc.
Attorneys at Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. voted to join ESC Local 20 in early 2021, with over 80% turnout and 98% in support. These Trial and Appeals Attorneys represent individuals charged in federal court who are unable to afford lawyers. As federal public defenders working at the U.S./Mexico border, their job is to fight a system that disproportionately punishes vulnerable people of color. For many clients, their only crime is crossing the border.
Homeless Action Center
In 2020, the Attorneys, Advocates, and Outreach and Administrative staff at Homeless Action Center (HAC) joined ESC Local 20. HAC provides free legal services to unhoused residents of Alameda County. ESC members at HAC support clients in navigating complex bureaucratic systems so that they can access public services, gain access to a stable income and healthcare, and focus on finding safe and affordable housing.
Legal Aid at Work
In 2015, staff at Legal Aid at Work (then known as Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center) unanimously petitioned to join ESC Local 20. Support Staff, Administration, and Attorneys now constitute a wall-to-wall bargaining unit at LAAW, which provides free legal services to help workers understand and assert their workplace rights. LAAW staff’s first contract included provisions to address retention and burnout issues plus groundbreaking paid family leave benefits.
Legal Services for Children
In October of 2022, staff at Legal Services for Children (LSC) joined ESC Local 20. The Attorneys, Social Workers, and other nonprofit professionals who voted for a voice at work now constitute a wall-to-wall unit. LSC is based in San Francisco and provides representation and advocacy for children in areas such as access to education and immigration, guardianship, and foster care cases.
Professionals represented by these contracts are part of our Union’s Government, Administrative, Technical Unit.
