The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) is facing an unlikely opponent: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
On August 19, Mamdani sued New York City Council over a UFT-backed law that would give teachers' aides (also called paraprofessionals) a one-time $10,000 bonus. The bonus would be a substantial jump in pay for the city's paraprofessionals, who earn as little as $33,000 a year.