Senior Staff Attorney

Organizational Background

Global Labor Justice is a strategy hub supporting transnational collaboration among worker and migrant organizations to expand labor rights and new forms of bargaining on global supply chains, capital markets, and international labor migration corridors. Through transnational campaigns, organizations of low wage workers are rewriting the governing rules of the economy, bargaining in new ways with the state and corporate and market actors, and sustaining powerful worker led movements. Women and migrant workers will play a crucial leadership role.

GLJ holds global corporations accountable for labor rights violations in their supply chains; advances policies and laws that protect decent work and just migration; and strengthens freedom of association, new forms of bargaining, and worker organizations.

GLJ has a team of 20 staff people based in our Washington DC office and around the world committed to defending labor rights and building worker power in the global economy.

Position Summary

This senior staff attorney position will focus on development finance institution (DFI) accountability for labor rights with a focus on the hospitality sector. Additionally, the position will address legal theories related to development finance institutions, global supply chains, and international law pertaining to the fields of agriculture and food production. The Senior Staff Attorney will report to the Hospitality Organizing Director and the Legal Director.

Overall, GLJ’s Legal Department works to realize freedom of association, living wages and decent work for all — centering women, migrants, and global South workers. The Department brings capacity to expand and enforce labor rights in workplaces and at the policy level, as well as to defend against retaliation. The Department seeks not only to advance campaign strategies but also reimagine what is possible. We push for transformative changes in law and policy that raise standards for workers and build worker power to realize and defend their rights. All of the Legal Department’s work is guided by our organizational values, including anti-racism, anti-colonialism and gender justice; and deep commitment to working in partnership with unions and worker organizations. We are transnational movement lawyers defending labor rights and building worker power in the global economy.

At the organizational level the Department is responsible for:

• Creating a space for organizational learning, coordination, and professional development;
• Identifying cross cutting issues and sharing related strategies across campaigns;
• Deepening strategic partnerships;
• Staying current on new legal and policy developments and trends;
• Identifying opportunities and risks for our campaigns and partners as well as strategies to leverage or defend against them;
• Document review to ensure legality, preserve rights and mitigate risk;
• Identifying libel risks and coordinating outside review if necessary;
• Coordinating the summer and term law clerk program; and
• Building and sharing transnational movement lawyering theory and practice.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Staff Attorney will be responsible for using the following tools to advance GLJ campaigns, with a focus on labor rights in development finance:

• Legal strategies, including:
  • Non-judicial accountability mechanisms, including OECD, DFI, and ILO mechanisms;
  • DFI labor portal complaints
  • Updates and reports to USG departments including Labor, Treasury, State, Trade and others
  • Private enforceable agreements between labor and companies, such as enforceable brand agreements (EBAs);
  • Impact litigation and amicus brief support in US courts against companies, on behalf of workers or our organization (in partnership with firms or other partners); and
  • Petitions or submissions to government agencies, international bodies.
• Advocacy approaches, including:
  • Direct government advocacy;
  • Multilateral advocacy with the UN, International Labour Organization (ILO), European Union (EU), OECD, and other bodies
  • Collaborate with team members and partner organizations to assist in the development of legal and advocacy strategies, including public campaigns and communications;
  • Interface with staff and leaders of unions and global union federations and
  • Holding coalition spaces and building alliances.
• Strategy factual development work, including:
  • Conducting interviews with workers, union leaders, and witnesses;
  • Documenting abuses;
  • Working with campaign teams to map targets and stakeholders and identify legal and policy tactics; and
  • Manage cases and develop legal resources to support campaigns and strategic objectives
  • Conducting research on legal and policy issues and making recommendations.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Five plus years of legal and/or policy experience to advance labor rights, corporate accountability, human rights or related fields. Experience advocating for accountability of development finance institutions is especially welcome.
• Experience working in diverse teams including researchers, organizers, and legal and policy staff to win concrete wins for workers.
• Knowledge and experience in multilateral fora including the OECD Guidelines, ILO Supervision mechanisms, and other complaint mechanisms related to labor, migration, and corporate accountability.
• Skill at conducting high-quality and thorough legal and policy research and analysis related to international labor standards and related trade, investment, and labor regimes which apply them with a law and political economy lens.
• Strong interpersonal skills, enjoy connecting individuals, and have a track record of developing and maintaining alliances.
• Proven track record of working in coalition with organizations including unions, community groups, and other movement partners.
• Experience managing multiple projects, overseeing, and tracking details, and a track record of achieving timely results.
• Well organized and strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communications skills, including listening, writing, editing, and speaking to different stakeholders.
• Sense of humor in order to maintain perspective and balance.
• Bilingual/ Bicultural a plus.
• Able to travel in the U.S. and globally to build the program and organization.
• A JD or LLM and authorization to work in the United States. Admission to the bar in a U.S. state is a plus.

Job status: U.S. employees in this position are full-time, exempt, members of IFPTE Local 70 Bargaining Unit. The start date is as soon as possible.

Supervisor: Hospitality Organizing Director (position also reports to the Legal Director).

Location: Washington, D.C. preferred. Candidates will also be considered who are located in other locations in the U.S. based on their ability to perform the job functions.

Salary Range: The salary range for a senior staff attorney position based in Washington DC is $85,000-$95,000 USD based on experience and includes excellent benefits including full healthcare coverage for employee and family members. Staff attorney candidates not at the senior level will be considered at an adjusted salary rate based on experience.

GLJ is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to equity. People of color, women, and LGBTQI candidates are encouraged to apply.