Mamdani turns on New York City teachers union with lawsuit blocking pay raises for educators

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), New York City’s largest teachers union, is fighting back against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s efforts to block a city-backed pay raise for education paraprofessionals, after the group previously endorsed him last year.

Last month, the New York City Council unanimously passed the “RESPECT Check Act,” which would offer up to a $10,000-bonus for education paraprofessionals.

Though Mamdani supported a version of the bill in the past, he has since spoken out against it, arguing that it violates New York state’s Taylor Law, which protects public employees’ rights to negotiate issues like compensation. His administration later filed a lawsuit to stop the law from being enacted Aug. 19.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration filed a lawsuit to stop a bill to provide a pay raise to school paraprofessionals. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In response, the UFT filed a motion to intervene last week, preparing to take the issue to court if Mamdani continues to fight the measure.

“We knew this lawsuit was a possibility, and we were prepared,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The RESPECT check law, which was unanimously passed by City Council on July 16, was carefully drafted to make sure that it did not violate the state’s Taylor Law, which governs collective bargaining.”

He added, “The City Council would not have introduced — let alone passed — this bill if it were illegal, and we would not have supported a bill that threatened our collective bargaining rights. This moment is an opportunity for Mayor Mamdani to create a new, fairer system and build the kind of city he said he wanted to lead. This administration must keep its promises, and we won’t stop until it does.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a reply.

The UFT filed a motion to intervene in response to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s lawsuit. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the city council pointed to a joint statement made by City Council Speaker Julie Menin and council member Carmen De La Rosa on Mamdani’s lawsuit earlier this month.

“Every member of the Council, in a unanimous and bipartisan vote, supported the RESPECT Check Act because it is unacceptable that paraprofessionals who support some of our highest-need students are earning as little as $32,000 a year. This law is not only the right thing to do, it is also the fiscally responsible thing to do, helping address the staffing shortages that contribute to the City’s $1.5 billion in Carter case costs. The Council will vigorously defend the law,” the statement read.

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The UFT previously endorsed Mamdani after he secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor in July 2025.

Despite the lawsuit, Mamdani said in a news conference last week that discussions with Menin and the UFT have been “productive,” adding that he does not oppose a pay raise for paraprofessionals.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has defended discussions between his administration, the city council and the UFT amid his lawsuit against a recent bill. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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“The relationship [with Menin] continues as it’s been, and the talks [with the UFT] have been productive,” Mamdani said. “They’ve been productive because we have a shared understanding of the critical role that paraprofessionals play in our public school system and in our city.”