Education Quiet since Sep 18 Updated Sep 18, 2026
The paraprofessionals' raise fight
The City Council's Respect Check law gives 26,000 school paraprofessionals a one-time $10,000 raise, but Mayor Mamdani, who supported the pay bump as a candidate, is suing to block it, arguing it sidesteps collective bargaining. The fight decides whether the first installment of the roughly $325 million raise reaches paraprofessionals as scheduled in January 2027.
The story so far
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Sep 18, 2026 Latest
The City Council filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss Mayor Mamdani's lawsuit over the $10,000 paraprofessional payment, arguing the Respect Check law self-repeals if Mamdani bargains an equal raise through collective bargaining, Spectrum News NY1 and amNewYork reported.
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Aug 27, 2026
The United Federation of Teachers moved to intervene against Mayor Mamdani's lawsuit seeking to block the $10,000 payment to school paraprofessionals, arguing it should be allowed to defend its members' interests; Mamdani's suit contends the Council's Respect Check law bypassed collective bargaining.
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Aug 21, 2026
Mayor Mamdani's administration sued the City Council to block the $10,000 bonus for the city's 26,000 school paraprofessionals, arguing the Respect Check law illegally bypasses collective bargaining.
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Aug 20, 2026
The City Council's Respect Check law giving 26,000 school paraprofessionals a one-time $10,000 raise took effect after Mayor Mamdani declined to sign or veto it, and City Hall said it will sue, arguing the law sidesteps collective bargaining. UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the union wrote the law specifically to survive that argument, and the city estimates the raise will cost roughly $325 million, paid in four installments from January to August 2027.
Politics | Spectrum News NY1 
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