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.FLASHBACK: MAMDANI'S HISTORY OF DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUESNew 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."MAMDANI'S PLAN TO CUT GIFTED PROGRAMS IN NYC SCHOOLS DRIVING PARENTS TO COMPETITIVE PRIVATE EDUCATION: REPORTFox News Digital reached out ...