{"id":325511,"date":"2026-08-20T02:22:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T02:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/325511\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T02:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T02:22:18","slug":"mayor-zohran-mamdani-takes-legal-action-to-block-10k-payments-to-nyc-school-aides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/325511\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Zohran Mamdani Takes Legal Action to Block $10K Payments to NYC School Aides"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">New York City Mayor <a data-ylk=\"slk:Zohran Mamdani;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/globemagazine.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a> is suing to block a pay boost for thousands of school paraprofessionals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to a report the <a data-ylk=\"slk:New York Post;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/19\/us-news\/bill-boosting-nyc-teaching-assistants-pay-by-10k-becomes-law-without-zohran-mamdanis-signature\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">New York Post<\/a> published on Wednesday, August 19, the 34-year-old&#8217;s administration filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court to block a new law granting roughly 25,000 city paraprofessionals up to $10,000 in additional compensation. The law took effect that same day without the mayor&#8217;s signature after passing the City Council unanimously last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The lawsuit, filed by the city&#8217;s Assistant Corporation Counsel Zachary Ellis, argues the measure \u2014 known as the &#8220;Respect for Paraprofessionals&#8221; law \u2014 ignores &#8220;nearly sixty years of well-established collective bargaining process under the Taylor Law,&#8221; which requires public employers and unions to negotiate compensation directly, per the report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The city pegs the eventual price tag at $324.9 million, with the filing calling it a &#8220;conservative estimate,&#8221; and warns the payout &#8220;has set a perilous and unlawful precedent with huge fiscal consequences for the DOE and the City \u2014 and, by extension, the tax-paying public.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The outlet reported that Mamdani&#8217;s spokesperson Matt Rauschenbach echoed that argument, calling collective bargaining &#8220;a fundamental pillar of a fair economy&#8221; and accusing the Council of passing legislation that &#8220;undermines collective bargaining and sets a dangerous precedent: allowing politicians to bypass workers and their unions and dictate the terms of employment themselves.&#8221; He added that &#8220;a one-time payment does not solve the underlying, long-term pay inequities facing paraprofessionals.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"&lt;span class=&quot;wp-desc-text&quot;&gt;&lt;\/span&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;&gt;ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1441\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/globe_458\/9eac4c57eaea65a3c11b46895b2773db.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Per the New York Post, the lawsuit marks a reversal from Mamdani&#8217;s campaign trail, where he stood alongside UFT President Michael Mulgrew last year while accepting the union&#8217;s endorsement and promised to &#8220;continue to support the passage of&#8221; of the law, which &#8220;addresses the fact that there are too many open positions right now for paraprofessionals across the city because that job simply doesn&#8217;t pay enough.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Council Speaker Julie Menin, who co-sponsored the bill with Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, defended the law in a joint statement, per New York Post, noting paraprofessionals &#8220;are earning as little as $32,000 a year&#8221; and calling it &#8220;the fiscally responsible thing to do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mulgrew, for his part, said the union anticipated a legal fight. &#8220;We are prepared for this. The bill was drafted carefully to ensure that it does not violate the state Taylor Law,&#8221; he said, adding paraprofessionals can expect their $10,000 payout in four installments starting January 1, 2027.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As <a data-ylk=\"slk:Globe;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/globemagazine.com\/nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdanis-new-pied-a-terre-tax-prompts-outrage-at-packed-city-council-hearing\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Globe<\/a><a data-ylk=\"slk:previously reported;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/globemagazine.com\/nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdanis-new-pied-a-terre-tax-prompts-outrage-at-packed-city-council-hearing\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"> previously reported<\/a>, Mamdani is facing separate backlash over the rollout of his new pied-\u00e0-terre tax on luxury second homes worth $5 million or more. At a three-hour City Council hearing, per the <a data-ylk=\"slk:New York Post;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/18\/us-news\/fuming-homeowners-rail-against-mamdanis-pied-a-terre-tax-rollout\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">New York Post<\/a>, one Upper East Side resident said he was wrongly billed $58,000 after the city&#8217;s records incorrectly listed his own apartment as a non-primary residence \u2014 a notice he only discovered after it was mistakenly delivered to a neighbor \u2014 while real estate agents rallied outside with signs reading &#8220;Guilty until proven resident.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This story <a data-ylk=\"slk:Mayor Zohran Mamdani Takes Legal Action to Block $10K Payments to NYC School Aides;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/globemagazine.com\/mayor-zohran-mamdani-takes-legal-action-to-block-10k-payments-to-nyc-school-aides\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Mayor Zohran Mamdani Takes Legal Action to Block $10K Payments to NYC School Aides<\/a> first appeared on <a data-ylk=\"slk:Globe;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/globemagazine.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Globe<\/a>. Follow <a data-ylk=\"slk:Globe;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/profiles.yahoo.com\/brands\/globe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Globe<\/a><a data-ylk=\"slk:on;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/profiles.yahoo.com\/brands\/globe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> on <\/a><a data-ylk=\"slk:Yahoo;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/profiles.yahoo.com\/brands\/globe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Yahoo<\/a> so you don&#8217;t miss what&#8217;s coming next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is suing to block a pay boost for thousands of school paraprofessionals.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[301,3538,4327,39187,9,4330,56,63,65,64,20772,39643,82],"class_list":["post-325511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-city-council","tag-collective-bargaining","tag-manhattan-supreme-court","tag-michael-mulgrew","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-post","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-paraprofessionals","tag-taylor-law","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}