10,000 Wishes—Being Seen and Heard are Just The Start
Linda Ramtahal, NYC para and UFT para chapter representative, shares why she’s running with the A BETTER CHAPTER slate
I’ve worked as a paraprofessional in New York City public schools for years. I know what it’s like to show up early, stay late, do everything from instructional support to diaper changes, and still go home wondering how I’m going to pay rent. I’ve helped students through emotional breakdowns, been there when they needed someone to trust, and carried way more than what’s in my job description. That’s what paras do, we show up. Every single day. Even when we’re struggling ourselves.
And for years, we’ve been shouting for help. Shouting for recognition. Shouting for a real raise. We’ve been told ‘pattern bargaining’ means everyone gets the same percentage and there’s nothing that can be done. We’ve been told to be patient. To wait.
Now, out of nowhere, UFT leadership is telling us that real pay reform for paras is ‘impossible’, and we should settle for a $10,000 bonus that’s not in our contract, not guaranteed, and not pensionable. I don’t buy it, and you shouldn’t either.
They say their hands are tied. I believe they just don’t want to fight.
This isn’t leadership. It’s damage control.
That $10K…It’s not a raise! It doesn’t fix our base pay. It doesn’t help our pensions. It’s not protected in our contract, and if the city says next year, “Sorry, we’re broke,” then what? It disappears. Poof. Just like that. And we’re left stuck with the same poverty wages we’ve had for decades.
Even worse, this workaround sets a dangerous precedent. If UFT can’t or won’t use bargaining to win wage increases for the lowest-paid workers in the system, then what is collective bargaining even for?
I’m running for Executive Board with A Better Contract because I believe real change starts with real organizing. I don’t want band-aids. I want a raise that counts. I want it locked into our contract. I want it pensionable. I want respect that shows up on our paychecks, not just in speeches.
To win that, we have to stop relying on press releases and one-sided town halls. We need paras building power in every school, talking to each other, wearing buttons, collecting stories, showing up at union meetings, and demanding to be in the rooms where decisions are made. We need to link arms with other underpaid city workers and say, together, no one settles until the bottom is raised. That’s how you break the pattern.