Written and edited by Norm Scott:
EDUCATE! ORGANIZE!! MOBILIZE!!!
Three pillars of The Resistance – providing information on current ed issues, organizing activities around fighting for public education in NYC and beyond and exposing the motives behind the education deformers. We link up with bands of resisters. Nothing will change unless WE ALL GET INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE!
In part 2, Katie Anskat compares the Boston contract for paras with NYC. By the way, she could have done a tale of 3 cities by comparing the victory for paras in LA.
In
2023, the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) supported a 3 day strike by SEIU
Local 99, which includes paraprofessionals and other support staff, in a
solidarity action. The 2023 contract for LAUSD paraprofessionals (support staff) included a significant pay increase, a new minimum wage, and expanded health care benefits.The contract also addressed work hours for specific roles like classroom assistants working with special education students.
Friday, April 11, 2025
ABC supports paras getting the 10K bonus, even if unpensionable.
The rally for paras to get the bill passed - well they don't say very much when we ask "Where is the bill?" How can you pass a bill that exists in imagination? Some view this entire process as bait and switch for the elections where a big erosion of the 27K para vote, as happened last year in the chapter election, seriously threatens Unity. So we see a full court press for paras and for retiree votes with welfare fund goodies tossed in. At least the threat to Unity seems to spur some level of response - the bigger the threat the more they will do to try to counter it.
ABC, with Fix Para Pay support, has recruited 120 paras to run on the slate, unprecedented - I actually can't remember paras every running with the Unity opponents. Check other slates to see how many paras. I do find it sort of funny - or sad - that groups that brag about social justice don't seem able to connect to paras to the extent they will put themselves on the line to run in the election.
Here is Katie's post on substack.
A Tale of Two Cities, Part 2 - Boston vs. NYC: What Our Union Could Be Doing for Paraprofessionals
This
is the second installment in our two-part series from A Better Contract
(ABC). In Part 1, we looked at the Chicago Teachers Union’s big wins.
ABC Treasurer candidate Katie Anskat dives into the
Boston Teachers Union’s groundbreaking contract for
paraprofessionals—and contrasts it with the UFT’s attempt to sell a
$10,000 non-pensionable bonus as a breakthrough.
When I saw what the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) just secured for their paraprofessionals, I couldn’t stay quiet.
Because this isn’t just policy. It’s personal.
I
teach in an inclusion classroom. I work side-by-side with
paraprofessionals every single day. And I’ve seen what happens when our
system fails to value them — not just as professionals, but as people.
I’ve seen paras working two to three jobs just to make ends meet.
I’ve seen them take the weight of a classroom on their shoulders
without complaint. I’ve seen their brilliance, patience, and power.
And I’ve also seen the exhaustion. The tears. The feeling that no one is listening — not even the union that’s supposed to.
So when I saw Boston’s tentative agreement https://btu.org/contract-bargaining-updates
— real raises, expanded benefits, and permanent pensionable raises — I
didn’t just think, “Why can’t we have that?” I thought, “Why haven’t we
fought for it?”
I don’t just see numbers with the Boston
Tentative Contract. I see respect. I see a contract that says, “We see
you. You matter.”
And when I look at what UFT leadership is
offering paras here in NYC — a $10,000 bonus that isn’t even in the
contract and doesn’t count toward your pension — I see the exact
opposite.
Real Raises vs. Temporary Bonuses
In Boston, paraprofessionals already start around $45,000 — and under their new tentative agreement, many will see raises of 20–30%, with some earning well over $53,000 by the end of the contract. These are pensionable, permanent raises
that build a future — not a press release. That’s not just a raise —
that’s stability, that’s dignity, that’s a union doing its job.
Here
in NYC, while some paras can eventually reach similar earnings, it
takes years of service and longevity steps — and most start far lower.
Starting salaries for paraprofessionals are closer to $32,000–$34,000,
depending on title and step. Instead of raising base pay, UFT is
offering a non-pensionable $10,000 bonus that’s not in the contract,
tied to a bill that hasn’t even been written, and can disappear at any
time. That’s not respect — it’s election-season bait.
Meanwhile, UFT is flooding the airwaves with commercials pretending it’s already a done deal.
It’s not just misleading. It’s insulting.
The Longevity Disgrace
In
New York City, paraprofessionals are paid on a step schedule that
requires them to wait years between raises — and the most meaningful
increases don’t come until well after 10 years of service.
After
15 years, paras are eligible for longevity increases — but those are
small, fixed amounts that top out around $1,000 per year. They're not
percentage-based, and they do little to raise a para’s overall standard
of living.
This structure punishes early-career paraprofessionals —
the very folks who are often taking on the most intense student needs.
Instead of getting paid for the value they bring now, paras are told to
wait a decade or more for the salary they deserve.
Compare that to
what Boston just did: front-loaded, pensionable raises that show
respect immediately — not just when it’s “earned” through decades of
underpaid work
Conditions and Protections Matter
Boston didn’t stop at wages. They delivered real support and security:
Paras can’t be excessed because of licensing gaps.
Classrooms with high needs automatically get additional para support.
They get 4 personal days, tuition reimbursement, and Line of Duty Injury (LODI) protections.
Here
in NYC? Paras are in overcrowded classrooms with no cap. Still no
LODI. Still treated like second-class employees — even though they’re
the ones keeping classrooms and kids afloat.
This Is Personal
I’ve
been teaching in NYC for 17 years. I’ve sat beside paraprofessionals in
tough IEP meetings, in crisis interventions, in early morning prep and
late afternoon debriefs. I’ve watched them break up fights, manage
impossible schedules, and love our kids fiercely through it all — often
while working second and third jobs or wondering if they can afford to
stay in this city.
I’ve also seen them cry in the hallway —
feeling unseen, unheard, and unprotected by the very union that’s
supposed to fight for them.
And now, they’re being told to clap
for a $10,000 bonus that is not even a drafted bill yet? If it is
written and passes, could it vanish in the next budget cycle or due to a
new Mayor? These are the questions I am asked and it breaks my heart
to admit the truth - that as of 4/5/25, there is no bill that exists for
this paraprofessional bonus.
It’s unacceptable. We owe them so much more.
A Better Contract Means A Better Union
We’re not here to make excuses. We’re here to make change.
We are proud to be supported by Fix Para Pay, a movement that has never stopped organizing for justice for paraprofessionals in NYC. And we proudly support them back.
Together, we’ll fight for:
✊ Pensionable raises that build lasting stability
✊ LODI protections that treat paras like the professionals they are
✊ Fair, front-loaded longevity and step increases that reflect the value paras bring today — not just someday
✊ Tuition support for all paras — not just those pursuing DOE-approved paths
Boston didn’t wait. They organized. And they won.
We can do the same — if we choose to fight.
Let’s stop settling. Let’s start listening.
Let’s build a union that reflects the very people who keep our schools standing.
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