Mamdani Sues to Block $10,000 NYC Paraprofessional Raise as Law Takes Effect
Updated
Updated · New York Daily News · Aug 19
Mamdani Sues to Block $10,000 NYC Paraprofessional Raise as Law Takes Effect
3 articles · Updated · New York Daily News · Aug 19
Summary
Manhattan state court received the city's lawsuit hours after Mayor Zohran Mamdani let the paraprofessional pay bill become law without his signature; the administration wants the measure declared unlawful and permanently barred.
The suit argues the City Council illegally bypassed collective bargaining under New York's Taylor Law by ordering four $2,500 payments next year to school aides who start at about $32,600.
Council leaders and the United Federation of Teachers vowed to defend the law, saying 1,600 paraprofessional vacancies are worsening unmet special-education services and hurting families before school opens in three weeks.
$325 million is the law's one-year cost across two budget cycles, but the administration did not seek a preliminary injunction, so the measure remains in force and the first payment is still scheduled for January.
The clash also exposes Mamdani's shift from backing a costlier version on the campaign trail to opposing this one in office, even as the city and union say they are making progress on a longer-term pay solution before the DOE-UFT contract expires in November 2027.