FAQ on the proposed City Council legislation
Members of the New York City Council announced proposed legislation to give every UFT-represented paraprofessional a permanently recurring annual payment of $10,000 or more.
This proposed legislation is part of our ongoing work to give paraprofessionals the respect and money they deserve for the valuable work they do for our most vulnerable students. See answers to questions you may have about the proposed legislation below.
What is the paraprofessional “RESPECT check” legislation?
The proposed bill would put an additional $10,000 or more into the pockets of paraprofessionals annually and begin to undo some of the damage that the unfair practice of pattern bargaining has caused members of the UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter. Substitute paraprofessionals would receive a prorated amount based on the number of days they work each year.
The bill would create a separate "para pay index" outside of contract bargaining that would provide classroom paraprofessionals and substitute paraprofessionals, on a pro-rata basis, with an additional $10,000 annually. While it would be separate from a paraprofessional’s regular salary and would not be pensionable, this payment would start to close the inequitable gap in pay that our paras experience. This bill would ensure these annual payments outside of our bargaining agreement cannot be touched. The proposed bill is part of our ongoing work to increase pay for paraprofessionals and end a practice that has harmed our lowest-paid members.
What's next for the future of this bill?
Although former City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams blocked this bill last year, the language of the bill is ready to be assigned to a new sponsor. In the coming weeks, we will work with the City Council to make that happen.
Once the bill has been sponsored, the UFT will lobby to get co-sponsors to sign on, just like we did before. Last time, dozens of council members signed on immediately, and we reached a supermajority within a week.
Our conversations are confirming that the overwhelming support for this RESPECT check is still there and stronger than ever. The difference? We now have a speaker who does not want to block it. The path forward is clear, and your work matters.
Stay tuned for more communication as this unfolds. We’ve said it before, and we will say it again: We will not stop until our RESPECT check legislation is passed.
How bad is the pay gap for paraprofessionals?
Our paraprofessionals have a starting salary of just under $32,000 which is impossible to survive on in this city. The city’s insistence on pattern bargaining, in which all city workers get the same percentage increases, has done incredible damage to the lowest paid employees. The fact is the same 3% increase translates to a much higher dollar amount for higher-paid DOE employees than it does for our paraprofessionals. A 3% increase for a starting paraprofessional is roughly $900, while for the highest paid principals it is roughly $6,500. Over the decades, due to this broken system, the pay gap between the highest-paid principals and the lowest-paid UFT members — our paraprofessionals — has grown appallingly wide.
How much money will I get if this bill becomes law? How is the amount determined?
If our bill becomes law, every full-time paraprofessional would receive a check for $10,755 in 2025 and $11,154 in 2026 (see chart below). Substitute paraprofessionals would receive a prorated amount based on the number of days worked. The annual payment amount would be determined through a formula that compares the highest principal salary and the lowest paraprofessional salary over the past 20 years. The payment would be higher some years due to fluctuations in the formula, but it would never dip below $10,000.
Why is the money not pensionable?
Salaries, which are pensionable, must be negotiated through collective bargaining. With this proposed legislation, we can give paraprofessionals immediate financial relief this year, rather than waiting until 2027, when we will begin negotiations on a new contract. Moreover, we are not financing these payments with the finite sum available to us for all members in collective bargaining. Finally, the City Council is legally not allowed to change worker salaries or working conditions, but this payment would fall outside the terms or conditions of our contract.
Why can’t we negotiate this wage increase in a contract?
We will continue to negotiate pay increases for paraprofessionals and all UFT titles through collective bargaining, but our current contract does not expire until 2027. We are going outside collective bargaining because pattern bargaining, in which all city workers get the same percentage increases, has failed our paraprofessionals. The fact is the same 3% increase translates to a much higher dollar amount for higher-paid DOE employees than it does for our paraprofessionals, so paraprofessionals fall farther and farther behind. We would never be able to get this large and immediate amount of money for paraprofessionals within the constraints of collective bargaining without other union members giving up their own raises. It is the city’s responsibility to give paraprofessionals the money we know they all deserve. It’s unacceptable to us for the city to say that other UFT members are responsible for giving paraprofessionals a raise. We will not allow the city to pit members against members.
How would I receive this payment if the proposed legislation passes?
We would work with the DOE to figure out how and when this payment is distributed. It might appear as a supplemental check similar to our May bonus checks.
How would this money be taxed?
This payment would be taxed as supplemental wages, the same way the May bonus payments are. Because of this classification, a higher amount of tax may be withheld initially, but your final tax rate at the end of the year would be based on your total income (salary plus bonuses and other earnings). If the amount withheld ends up being more than what you owe for the year, you will receive a tax refund from the IRS when you file your return.
Why would paraprofessionals receive this payment and not other UFT titles?
This payment to paraprofessionals would address the pay gap that has increased over the decades as across-the-board percentage increases negotiated in each contract yield more money for higher-paid titles. Our paraprofessionals deserve to earn a living wage for the valuable work they do.
How would this proposed legislation be funded?
The payments would come from the city’s general funds, not from the collective bargaining reserve. Between November 2024 and January 2025, the city “found” over $8 billion in additional funds to cover municipal expenses.