The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) has filed a legal motion to intervene in a lawsuit challenging a City Council-approved pay raise for school paraprofessionals, placing the union at odds with Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration.
Mamdani's administration is suing to block a $10,000 bonus for school paraprofessionals, arguing that the City Council's method of approving the raise violates state labor laws concerning collective bargaining. The UFT, which had previously endorsed Mamdani in his election campaign, now supports the City Council's legislation, known as the RESPECT Check Act.
UFT president Mike Mulgrew has made increasing the pay for paraprofessionals, who assist students with disabilities, a top priority. The union's legal filing asserts that as the representative body for these workers, the UFT should be permitted to defend their interests in court. The proposed pay increase aims to address the starting salary for paraprofessionals, which is currently around $33,000 and can reach $56,000 after 15 years of service. The total cost for the pay bump for approximately 10,000 paraprofessionals is estimated at $324 million.
Mamdani has stated that he supports a salary increase for paraprofessionals but believes it should be negotiated through collective bargaining or contract talks between his office and the UFT, rather than being mandated by the City Council. The RESPECT Check Act passed the Council unanimously and became law without the mayor's signature, as a mayoral veto could have been overridden.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Councilwoman Carma De La Rosa defended the law, stating in a joint statement that it is unacceptable for paraprofessionals supporting high-need students to earn as little as $32,000 annually. The lawsuit filed by Mamdani's administration contends that the new legislation disregards decades of established collective bargaining processes under the Taylor Law, which mandates good-faith negotiations between public employers and unions on compensation.
This legal action represents a significant shift for Mayor Mamdani, whose campaign promises included supporting legislation to boost paraprofessional pay. The UFT's intervention in the lawsuit signifies their commitment to ensuring the pay raise for their members proceeds through the legal and legislative channels they support.