Zohran Mamdani in teachers' row as union turns against New York City Mayor

New York's Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani is in a row with teachers after the city's teaching union fought back against his efforts to block a city-backed pay raise.

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the largest teachers union in New York, filed legal action against the Mayor earlier this week supporting a $10,000 bonus for school paraprofessionals introduced in legislation by the City Council.

On August 19, the heavy Democrat-majority City Council's bill to give paraprofessionals - similar to Britain's teaching assistants - a one-time bonus to city employees who often work one-on-one with children with disabilities.

But that same day Mr Mamdani and his administration filed a lawsuit against the union, arguing the bill has ignored traditional labour rights.

"We will not allow the political process to replace the collective bargaining table," Matt Rauschenbach, spokesman for the Mayor of New York said.

"The city is filing a lawsuit to protect the right of every union to negotiate on behalf of its members, to fight for the workplace they deserve and ensure that workers - not politicians - determine their own futures."

But the legal action has not stopped the UFT for continuing its legal action, despite their previous endorsement for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member.

"We knew this lawsuit was a possibility, and we were prepared," UFT President Michael Mulgrew told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"The RESPECT check law, which was unanimously passed by City Council on July 16, was carefully drafted to make sure that it did not violate the state’s Taylor Law, which governs collective bargaining."

Mr Mulgrew said the law would never have been passed without the union's support.

"This moment is an opportunity for Mayor Mamdani to create a new, fairer system and build the kind of city he said he wanted to lead," he added.

"This administration must keep its promises, and we won’t stop until it does."

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New York's first Muslim mayor had supported a pay rise for paraprofessionals while on the campaign trail, but hit out at the idea after coming to office.

The bill has been heavily supported by City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has positioned herself as a more fiscally moderate foil to the socialist mayor.

"Every member of the Council, in a unanimous and bipartisan vote, supported the RESPECT Check Act because it is unacceptable that paraprofessionals who support some of our highest-need students are earning as little as $32,000 a year," she said in a statement released earlier this month.

"This law is not only the right thing to do, it is also the fiscally responsible thing to do, helping address the staffing shortages that contribute to the City’s $1.5 billion in Carter case costs.

"The Council will vigorously defend the law."

The situation has put both Mr Mamdani and Mrs Menin in unusual political position - the bonus to paraprofessionals would, according to critics, result in an expensive run of unions seeking similar legislation to avoid collective bargaining.

The Mayor of New York, meanwhile, has been made to take a position against bonuses for low-income city employees despite campaigning on a platform of making the city more affordable to all.

Despite the conflict, Mr Mamdani insisted talks with the union were "productive", adding that both parties have a "shared understanding of the critical role that paraprofessionals play".