The dire need of paras who need a living wage is primal here. Then add working 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet. We organize to see this concept of a plan come to fruition but can also recognize it’s a band aid over the hemorrhaging.Take the money and vote them out! -- Paras react to UFT/Unity 10K bonus plan
Expect this proposed concept of a plan to be the first motion in the February DA. Mulgrew will act like he’s looking around the room and magically call on John Kamps to motivate it...
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025
Clearly, in response to the big Fix Para Pay win in the chapter election last June, fear has gripped Mulgrew and the Unity Caucus as they desperately try to move the 27K para unit away from voting for the ABC slate, aligned with the Fix Para Pay group, by offering a package of goodies to paras.
You see, elections do have consequences because we know from decades of history of Unity not fighting to fix para pay, we wouldn't otherwise be seeing this move. Will paras be fooled less than two years after the most recent contract neglected to fix para pay or even make an attempt to do so? The joke is the Unity criticism of the 3% pattern bargaining which they used to browbeat people into voting for the 2023 contract.
Of course some Unity trolls are on the attack, claiming the election had nothing to do with the UFT blitz of offering goodies. Sure.
While I have supported legal initiatives to improve conditions, the bottom line is that only the contract protects us. An example I often refer to was a city council law that reduced class size below the contract for grades 1-3 in the early 90s but was scrapped by Bloomberg. And the current class size state law which is not being enforced. At the time I railed against the reliance on city council as only temporary solutions. People will point to the contract not being enforced but when it comes to salary and class size, there is compliance.
Of course the 10k will not be pensionable as we've seen the UFT increasingly rely on non-pensionable bonuses as a way to buy votes.
Unity has shown a pattern since losing the retiree and para elections so badly by reversing themselves try to win back these units, both large blocks of UFT members whose votes will be crucial to Unity's winning the election this May.
One of the funniest things retirees received yesterday from Mulgrew was this missive:
We are increasing your optional rider reimbursement by $60 - but he leaves out that they raised the monthly charge for the optional rider by $30 which comes to $360 a year - so he thinks people are so stupid not to notice that he is giving back $60 while we pay $300 more?
Marie Waunsnock of Fix Para Pay in their press release exposes the Unity gameplan:
“This isn’t a victory—it’s a distraction,” said Marie Wausnock, UFT Paraprofessional Executive Board Member and founder of Fix Para Pay. “If the city has money now, why didn’t we get real raises in our contract? Why were paras shut out of negotiations? We won’t be silenced with one-time bonuses that do nothing for our future.”LODI - Line of Duty Injury protection is a prime aim of the paras.
The so-called solution:
• Is not guaranteed—the bill hasn’t been written, introduced, or passed.
• Was made without consulting elected para representatives.
• Fails to address ongoing issues like inadequate pensions, LODI access, and fair longevity pay.
“This is a pattern,” Wausnock added. “Mulgrew ignored retirees until they voted out his handpicked candidate. He ignored members struggling with healthcare costs until it became a liability. Now, he’s scrambling to buy para votes after years of neglect.”
ABC is running a strong slate of paras for the UFT election. Meet some of them and the rest of the slate on Feb. 11. You can RSVP, here.
Here are a few comments I picked up from social media
so NOW you're concerned abt para pay. Where was this energy during CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS? You're lying Abt pattern bargaining (ex. CSA). You're choosing not to negotiate for higher pay. This raise should be pensionable!!! This is what buying votes looks like.
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I’m proud to be a paraprofessional, I love my work, my students, my colleagues - I work in D75, our salaries have never been a reflection of the immeasurable quality and value of our work. We are not fooled by cheap election gimmicks- We deserve better!!I stand proudly with Fix Para Pay: UFT Paras For A Fair Contract and A Better Contract - UFT Members
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The proposed City Council bill to extend annual $10k annual, non-pensionable payments to our hardworking paras who still need a living wage.Can someone show us the proposed bill in Legistar? We can’t find it. Madina of @POLITICOPro tells us it hasn’t been drafted yet?Surely the money for this will need to be reconciled in budget negotiations for next fiscal year. We know that City Council and the mayor fight until the 11th hour over next year’s budgets … often until late June.Is this a concept of a bill with an IOU?I think we need some straight talk.In the meantime, we should sign the petition.
Fix Para Pay for REAL—No More Backroom Deals!
NYC Paraprofessionals Demand Real Raises, Not Election-Year Gimmicks
New York, NY – The UFT’s announcement of a “potential” $10,000 bonus for paraprofessionals is a direct result of Fix Para Pay’s relentless fight for fair wages. While any financial relief is welcome, this is nothing more than an election-year stunt—not the real, pensionable raises paras deserve.
“This isn’t a victory—it’s a distraction,” said Marie Wausnock, UFT Paraprofessional Executive Board Member and founder of Fix Para Pay. “If the city has money now, why didn’t we get real raises in our contract? Why were paras shut out of negotiations? We won’t be silenced with one-time bonuses that do nothing for our future.”
The so-called solution:
• Is not guaranteed—the bill hasn’t been written, introduced, or passed.
• Was made without consulting elected para representatives.
• Fails to address ongoing issues like inadequate pensions, LODI access, and fair longevity pay.
“This is a pattern,” Wausnock added. “Mulgrew ignored retirees until they voted out his handpicked candidate. He ignored members struggling with healthcare costs until it became a liability. Now, he’s scrambling to buy para votes after years of neglect.”
Paras are the backbone of NYC schools, and we will not accept temporary fixes or backroom deals. We demand:
✔ A pensionable salary increase that allows paras to live and retire with dignity.
✔ A seat at the negotiating table—no more deals made behind closed doors.
✔ Immediate action on key issues affecting paras’ financial security and workplace rights.
“The fight isn’t over,” said Wausnock. “Paras need real raises, real respect, and real power at the bargaining table.”
Fix Para Pay was founded to directly challenge UFT President Michael Mulgrew and his Unity Caucus, who have spent the last 16 years treating paraprofessionals as an afterthought. Through organizing, advocacy, and direct action, we have already changed the conversation about para pay in NYC. We will continue to push for real, lasting change—because paras deserve nothing less.
The UFT has finally taken a step in the right direction with their belated recognition that paraprofessionals deserve better pay. A “potential” $10,000 bonus is a long overdue step and we celebrate any financial relief. It’s about time that para valuable contributions to NYC schools were acknowledged. But let’s be clear—this is happening because of us. This is the result of FIX PARA PAY, our overwhelming historic chapter election win, and our relentless campaign for better pay now!We fought, made our voices heard, and UFT President Michael Mulgrew had no choice but to listen and respond. Just to be clear, this is an announcement about a bill that has yet to be written, yet to be introduced, and yet to be passed, for money that has never been given to workers by this method in NYC history. It is an idea that a handful of council members HOPE will happen in June's budget negotiations and which City Hall has already stated will NOT happen this way. We believe this move by the current UFT leadership is directly because FIX PARA PAY won the para chapter election last spring and their attempt to win the upcoming UFT leadership election.Your elected Paraprofessional chapter representatives were never consulted. We were told that we couldn’t even bring up higher wages during the last round of negotiations. We were told the city didn't have money to give us the raises we need and deserve. Now, suddenly, the money appears—but without a guarantee for the future.It’s important to recognize that this proposed bonus is a blatant election year gimmick and that Mulgrew is trying to buy votes instead of negotiating a contract with real pensionable raises. A bonus does not solve the ongoing problem of low wages that don’t keep up with cost of living. It does not solve the ongoing problem of pensions too meager to retire with dignity. It does not solve the ongoing problem of paras being denied access to LODI and equitable longevity raises.If the city has the funds to provide this money now, why wasn’t it included in our contract as a real raise, and why weren't these other problems addressed?This is part of a larger pattern in which UFT leadership refuses to budge unless forced to. Consider -- Mulgrew not only pushed the Medicare Advantage plan, he designed it himself. He ignored the objections of thousands of retirees until they crushed his handpicked puppet in the Retiree Teachers Chapter election last June. It was only then he suddenly reversed course and claimed he now opposed Medicare Advantage. He ignored criticism of the Welfare Fund’s benefit schedule being inadequate until it became clear it was a liability for him. He then decided more of the $800 million he’s sitting on could be put towards alleviating rising costs for UFT members.The press conference yesterday was his latest sleight of hand designed to distract overworked, underpaid paraprofessionals from the fact that he has done almost nothing for them during his 16 years as UFT president. We know many paraprofessionals see a “potential” $10,000 bonus as an immediate need being met.The more important issue is this type of “bonus” will never allow paras to live and retire in dignity not to mention violates the tenets of collective bargaining. As reported by Chalkbeat, the Mayor’s office believes this needs to be addressed in the next bargaining session.We’re not going to let union elites and city bureaucrats cut backroom deals ever again. Paras keep this city’s schools running, and we deserve real respect—not temporary fixes. If Mulgrew and the city think they can decide our fate without us, they should think again.Paras need a recurring pensionable raise and need to be included in the conversation. This attempt is not that.
A point that nobody is discussing: This secret deal was done behind closed doors and not through collective bargaining. As such, this is going to INFURIATE every other municipal union in NYC. Now, NYPD, NYFD, etc. are going to say, "what about us?". They are going to want these bonuses for their lower paid members as well. The UFT is now going to be the most hated union in NYC. (Which is not saying much since it is already hated in a big way by our fellow unions)
ReplyDeleteGood point but I don't count on them winning this unless they make a backdoor deal to endorse Adams. And the time frame is tied to the UFT election cycle - a promise but after the election the deal falls apart and the Unity crowd tries to blame everyone but themselves.
ReplyDeleteIf Adams could help Unity win against an unsurgent more militant ABC, wouldn't he consider it? And with an endorsement or neutrality in the mayor race, and also with ties to Trump this may be a no brainer.
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