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 — known as the paraprofessional “RESPECT check” legislation?
This 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.
Int. 1261 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. Int. 1261 is part of our ongoing work to increase pay for paraprofessionals and end a practice that has harmed our lowest-paid members.
Where is the bill now?
The bill has been stalled in the New York City Council since it was introduced on April 24, 2025. A hearing is currently scheduled for Dec. 19, 2025 — one of the last possible dates for a hearing during the 2025 legislative session, which ends on Dec. 30.
Even with a hearing date set, there is more work to be done. The bill must first be heard and approved by the Committee on Civil Service and Labor before it can move to the full City Council for a vote.
This is why we cannot wait until Dec. 19 — we need the hearing date moved up.
How many sponsors does the bill have?
The legislation is sponsored by 48 of the 51 City Council members, along with three borough presidents and the public advocate. This gives the bill supermajority sponsorship, meaning support from at least 34 Council members.
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 Int. 1261 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 ֱ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.