Call to Action: Fix Para Pay, Now! Sign the petition.
It’s time to fight for a living wage, a fair contract, and respect for NYC paraprofessionals. - By Migda Rodriguez, Marie Wausnock and Daniel Alicea
New York City public school paraprofessionals/para-educators play an essential and invaluable role in our school communities by providing accessible, quality educational and support services to all of our schoolchildren.
And yet, New York City public schools are experiencing hundreds of para vacancies that may result in thousands of New York City school children not receiving federally mandated IEP services due to shortages of full-time, qualified paras.
The reasons for this are many. But, quite simply it’s because we’ve seen our profession no longer be respected as a life-long career by the City of New York and the Department of Education.
New City York public school paras are struggling to earn a living wage in our city and often have to work multiple jobs to survive.
According to MIT’s living wage calculator, a single person with no children needs to make at least $33 an hour to live in New York City. Entry level paras are making less than $30k a year and no more than $18.50 an hour.
Did you know that teachers make over $32k in longevity raises over their careers while paras barely make $3k in longevity raises over their entire careers?
There are also various other inequities that exist in our current contractual pay structures and para job rights.
This current path can’t continue. Being a paraprofessional must be a sustainable career, once again , and not only viewed as a “career ladder” to another profession.
We need the DOE, the Mayor and our union leadership to not only recognize and protect the important role para-educators play in our schools and in our students' lives, but we call for fairer pay, better benefits, workplace safety, job security and increased access to job training that will give our jobs, and us, the respect paras deserve.
We must support related legislation and fight for these things at the collective bargaining table.
To this end, we call on our union family to support the Resolution to Meaningfully Support New York City Paraprofessionals’ Fight for a Living Wage and Fair Contract
It reads:
Whereas, UFT paraprofessionals/para-educators play an essential and invaluable role in our school communities by providing accessible, quality educational and support services to all of our schoolchildren;
Whereas, New York City public schools are experiencing hundreds of para vacancies that may result in thousands of New York City school children not receiving federally mandated IEP services due to shortages of full-time, qualified paras; and
Whereas, our New York City public school paras are struggling to earn a living wage in our city and often have to work multiple jobs to survive; and
Whereas, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and National Education Association (NEA), alongside dozens of other labor and education organizations have endorsed the November 2023 Senate resolution called The Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights, which calls for fairer pay, better benefits, workplace safety, job security, and increased access to training that will give these jobs and the educators who do them the respect they deserve; and
Whereas, the AFT and NEA have also endorsed the January of 2024 Senate and House of Representatives legislation called the Preparing and Retaining All (PARA) Educators Act, that would establish a grant program to help schools recruit, train, and retain paraeducators by funding pipeline and credentialing programs, high-quality professional development, and higher wages; therefore be it
Resolved; that the UFT shall support and educate its members about the significant implications of The Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights and the Preparing and Retaining All (PARA) Educators Act, emphasizing the potential benefits for paraprofessionals; and be it further
Resolved; that the UFT develop a comprehensive bargaining plan, with a clear timeline and objectives, for achieving a living wage for paraprofessionals, including equitable longevity raises, injury paid leave parity, and chapter 683 and ESY pay parity, ensuring they are compensated fairly for their crucial role in education.
In the coming weeks and months, UFT paras, along with other members, will work together to organize in solidarity around a living wage, fair contract, improved benefits and working conditions, and stronger protections for all paras.
Join our member-driven movement —
UFT Paras For A Fair Contract
Migda Rodriguez is the Second Vice Chairperson of the Paraprofessional Chapter and a NYC para. Marie Wausnock is a veteran NYC para, also. Both are a part of UFT Paras for A Fair Contract. Daniel Alicea is a special education teacher and UFT delegate who believes paras are beyond essential to our school communities and classrooms.
Of course I'll sign. But making demands is easy. Making a strategy to win demands is very difficult. Negotiation, by itself, cannot win demands that will cost the City so much money. I know you don't want to take away from any other group of school workers to give paras what so these demands will make the City pay more. How can the City be made to do that? Moral arguments about fairness? Think so? As I said demands are easy and everyone loves demands. Demands make a group look really good. But they also perpetuate the illusion that all the union has to do is ask for something and it can get it. The history of unions around the world shows this is wishful thinking.