New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has sued the City Council to block a new law providing eligible public-school paraprofessionals with one-time payments of up to $10,000.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan state Supreme Court, argues that the Council exceeded its authority by establishing additional compensation outside the collective bargaining process required under New York’s Taylor Law.
The administration says allowing the measure to stand could create a precedent for the Council to set compensation for other city workers without negotiations with their unions.
The City Council unanimously approved the measure, known as the RESPECT Check Act, in July.
The law took effect this week after Mamdani did not veto it, despite his administration’s objections. The payments are scheduled to be distributed in four $2,500 installments beginning in January 2027.
Mamdani’s administration maintains that compensation is a mandatory subject of bargaining and should be negotiated between the city and unions, rather than set by the City Council through legislation.
City officials argue that although the payments are labeled “stabilization payments,” they effectively function as additional compensation.
The lawsuit warns that allowing the law to stand could set a significant precedent for other unionized city employees.
According to the legal challenge, other public employees could seek their own compensation payments from the City Council outside their union contracts and the collective bargaining process.
Union titles could also use proposed Council legislation promising additional payments as leverage during future contract negotiations, potentially creating major fiscal consequences for the city.
The United Federation of Teachers, who represent paraprofessionals, says the payments address longstanding low wages and staffing shortages. The union maintains that the legislation was carefully structured to preserve collective bargaining rights, with permanent salary increases still subject to contract negotiations.
Council Speaker Julie Menin and Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa said the Council will vigorously defend the law, setting the stage for a legal battle over worker compensation and the limits of the Council’s authority.
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