The following email was sent to all paraprofessionals from UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Priscilla Castro, Paraprofessionals Chapter Chair, on Feb. 12, 2026:

In the few weeks since the new City Council members were sworn in, we’ve hit the ground running. Our paraprofessionals have met with at least 45 members of the City Council so far, and more appointments have been scheduled. In these meetings, paraprofessionals and UFT borough political action coordinators (PACs) have shared the concerns of our paraprofessionals and convinced legislators to sign pledges of support for our RESPECT check. We have 29 pledges signed and more on the way. These meetings have been very successful, and we expect to have the legislation introduced soon.

Here are our upcoming goals:  

• Get the legislation introduced.
• Officially sign up sponsors.
• Get the legislation a hearing with the City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor.
• Get the legislation passed by the full City Council.

The new City Council speaker, Julie Menin, will be the keynote speaker at the Paraprofessionals Awards Luncheon on March 7. Register now to hear updates from her directly. It will be an inspiring day of union solidarity, learning and activism. 

Register now

We will not stop until we get the RESPECT check legislation passed. You can check out the list of council members who have pledged their support for the bill on our RESPECT campaign page and follow @uftparachapter on Instagram for updates on these visits and more.