Historic Legislation for Paraprofessionals: A Game-Changer for Fair Pay

UFT Para Chapter Chair Priscilla Castro on President Mulgrew's call for city council to pass legislation that would increase paraprofessional pay by $10,000 or more in annual supplemental payments

Priscilla Castro is the Chapter Chair of the Paraprofessional Chapter of the United Federation of Teachers

New York City’s paraprofessionals are the backbone of our schools, but despite their value the City of New York has refused to show them the respect they deserve. The Unity Caucus has been fighting for para dignity and last week our union president, Michael Mulgrew along with the Council people Rita Joseph, Carmen De La Rosa, Julie Menin and Crystal Hudson introduced a groundbreaking legislative initiative that would be another step toward fixing para pay. If passed, this legislation will provide every UFT-represented paraprofessional with an additional yearly minimum payment of $10,000! This legislation is a historic win for paras and a direct challenge to the long-standing inequities caused by pattern bargaining.

What This Legislation Does

This proposed legislation, introduced in collaboration with UFT leadership, creates a “para pay index” that ensures classroom paraprofessionals receive at least $10,000 in additional, recurring annual income and substitute paraprofessionals receive a pro-rated amount of that $10,000 based on the number of days they’ve worked in a school year. This payment would function outside of contract negotiations, meaning it cannot be diminished or bargained away in future agreements. Unlike temporary bonuses, this funding will be permanent and will never be less than $10,000. The amount is determined by a formula comparing the highest principal salaries with the lowest paraprofessional salaries over the past 20 years, ensuring that the gap does not continue to widen unchecked.

Under pattern bargaining, across-the-board percentage increases have only widened the gap between the highest- and lowest-paid DOE employees. A 3% increase, for example, amounts to only $900 for a starting paraprofessional but roughly $6,500 for the highest-paid principals. This legislation acknowledges this and begins to correct this fundamental imbalance.

Addressing Concerns with Clear Facts

Despite the clear benefits of this initiative, expect some opposition voices to be self-serving and hypocritical enough to recommend that paraprofessionals—and the broader UFT membership—reject this opportunity. To prevent anyone from getting led down the path, I wanted to touch base on some of the arguments you will hear to trying to convince you to oppose increasing para pay through legislation.

Randy Adelson, proud paraprofessional and Chapter Leader of K226, shares how the proposed legislation to get paraprofessionals $10,000 reoccurring yearly checks NOW will help him and his colleagues. Link to Original Facebook Post

“The money isn’t pensionable, so it isn’t worth it.”

The payment is not pensionable. It is not pensionable because this isn’t a negotiated salary increase. This is an entirely new, recurring payment secured outside of collective bargaining! By law, salaries and pensionable earnings must be determined through negotiations. If this were legally considered salary or wages, then the city council would be barred from passing the law or it would be open to challenges from City Hall. Yes, one consequence of the payment not being considered salary or wages, is that cannot be pensionable. Another, however, and for the same reasons is that no union dues can be taken from the payment.

This initiative would allow paraprofessionals to receive the money without waiting until 2027 for the next contract. Moreover, had this same amount been won within a contract, it would have required other UFT members to forgo portions of about 2.5% of their own raises, pitting members against each other or would have required paras to give back hard-won rights like release time or due process rights.

For increases to be pensionable, the money must be added to salaries through contract negotiations. The next contract negotiation is in 2027 - Paras need money now! If this legislation is passed, paras will pocket 30 thousand dollars between now and the next contract negotiation. Any argument to turn this down because it is not pensionable is made by someone who doesn’t understand the applicable laws or someone with an agenda, like getting their opposition caucus elected.

“This won’t fix all the problems with paraprofessional pay, so we shouldn’t support it.”

No single initiative can fully resolve decades of systemic inequities overnight. However, this legislation represents a monumental step in the right direction. The opposition’s all-or-nothing approach suggests that if a perfect solution isn’t immediately available, then no progress should be made at all. In reality, meaningful change happens in steps, and securing an additional $10,000 annually—outside of contract limitations—is a significant achievement that should be embraced, not dismissed.

“Mulgrew is only doing this because it’s an election year.”

This, to me, is the weakest argument. It ignores the last 6 years of movement that Michael Mulgrew has made to help increase para pay. During the 2018 contract negotiations, Michael Mulgrew convinced all members of the UFT negotiating team in other chapters to take a smaller increase so paraprofessionals could receive more. He also negotiated para due process rights to mirror teacher rights which has prevented thousands of paras from being removed from payroll for investigations from SCI or OSI, or for arrests for minor allegations.

Despite opposition’s feigning concern for paras, during the 2023 contract negotiation, Michael Mulgrew had to go toe to toe with opposition members who publicly called for lump sum payments like the ratification bonus and the retention bonus to be converted into percentage increases. Michael Mulgrew would not allow the lump sum payments to be converted to percentage increases because that would have harmed paraprofessionals. Michael Mulgrew also lobbied to get paras added to teachers’ choice and so much more. All of this was done well before the current election year.

The same opposition’s criticizing the president for not having the groundbreaking idea to increase pay through legislation and bargaining are the opposition groups that never had the idea at all! Great ideas come when they come, but this is not the result of an election year, it is the result of spending his entire presidency trying to figure out how to get paras paid more within the confines of a brutal City bureaucracy.

A Clear Choice for Paraprofessionals

President Mulgrew has secured a pathway to get paraprofessionals their money now. This proposed legislation provides real, tangible financial relief that will continue to grow over time—at no cost to paras! Instead of engaging in political posturing, our focus must remain on delivering results that improve the lives of UFT members. Unity Caucus has worked hard to make this happen, and we will keep fighting for more!

While some members of “opposition” may debate and critique, the facts are clear: this legislation is a breakthrough, and supporting it is an immediate win for paraprofessionals!

This step top address the baked in inequity of pattern bargaining is a important step toward our ultimate goal of fixing para pay!

Please sign and share the petition below and get ready to fight like hell to get this legislation passed.