New York City, NY – The Alliance of Substitutes and Paraprofessionals (ASAP), a new group of militants within the NYC United Federation of Teachers, held a “Para RESPECT Check Town Hall” over Zoom on Wednesday, September 16.

The meeting was held to hear the voices of paras, the most underpaid education workers in the city, on the new “RESPECT Check” legislation which recently became law and which led to a controversial lawsuit against NYC City Council by Mayor Mamdani’s office.

The UFT successfully lobbied city council members for two years to win paras a $10,000 bonus check, which every city council member voted in support of. When the bill reached Mayor Mamdani’s desk, he decided to sue, because he believes it violates state law on collective bargaining. If Mamdani’s lawsuit succeeds, paras will not get the $10,000 check.

According to New York’s “Taylor Law”, all increases in wages for public sector workers must be won through the collective bargaining process, instead of through local politics. However, the UFT says that it wrote the language of the bill to avoid this problem. Meanwhile, paras wait in limbo to see whether or not they will receive the check.

Among rank-and-file organizers within the UFT, there wasn’t an immediate consensus on how to move forward. Some wanted to fight Mamdani’s lawsuit, others wanted to leave it and put more effort into rank and file organizing around a 2027 contract campaign.

The ASAP organizers recognized the heated nature of the moment and called for the town hall to hear the voices of paraprofessionals, those directly affected, on which direction to go next.

Over 50 educators joined the call, the vast majority being paras. Paras shared their thoughts and feelings on the RESPECT Check and other issues. Many voiced militant ideas about fighting for better pay and better working conditions.

Of the 14 different paras who spoke up at the town hall, nine supported the check and wanted to fight to retain it, while two did not. Three thought some other course of action should be taken.

Shamina Popy, one para on the call, said, “For me, the check is about more than just the money. It’s about recognizing the hard work paraprofessionals like me do every day for our students and our schools. We give so much of ourselves to support our students, and we deserve to have that work valued. The town hall was important because it brought us together and reminded us that we have a strong voice when we stand together. I believe we need to keep fighting for the check and continue making our voices heard.”

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