Mayor Files State Supreme Court Lawsuit Against City Council Over Teaching Assistant Bonuses

NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Zohran Mamdani formally filed an Article 78 lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court Thursday afternoon against the New York City Council, challenging the constitutionality of a recently enacted municipal statute mandating $10,000 annual retention bonuses for public school teaching assistants and paraprofessionals.

Mayoral Prerogative and Collective Bargaining Law

The legal petition contends that the City Council exceeded its legislative authority under the New York City Charter and the state Taylor Law (Civil Service Law § 200 et seq.), which assigns exclusive authority over municipal employee compensation and collective bargaining negotiations to the executive branch. The mayoral administration argued that unilaterally legislating wage enhancements outside of formal union contract negotiations creates an unfunded $140 million annual liability that disrupts the city’s five-year financial plan.

The Mayor’s counsel requested an immediate preliminary injunction staying implementation of the bonus disbursements pending judicial review.

City Council and Labor Union Defense

City Council leadership and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) strongly defended the bonus measure, asserting that critical staffing shortages among special education paraprofessionals constitute an educational emergency that the Council possesses statutory authority to address through budgetary appropriations.

Labor leaders called on City Hall to drop the lawsuit and negotiate fair wage adjustments at the bargaining table.

Preliminary Injunction Hearing Date

State Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank scheduled oral arguments on the preliminary injunction motion for September 15, 2026, in Manhattan.