NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani let a bill he opposed that requires New York City’s public school system to send $10,000 in checks to low-paid teacher aides become law on Wednesday without his signature.

The City Council passed the bill unanimously last month, with enough votes to override a veto if the mayor chose to do so — leaving Mamdani with few options to stop the measure from becoming law, unless he challenges it in court. Mamdani has criticized the bill, saying that a salary hike granted outside the collective bargaining process violates state labor law.

“This victory is huge, but we’re not done,” the United Federation of Teachers, the local union that represents the paraprofessionals, wrote on X.

“If the city tries anything in court, we’re ready. We won’t stop until this is permanent and pensionable. We will keep fighting for greater base pay and stronger benefits for our paras in our upcoming contract.”

The mayor’s office and the Council did not immediately return requests for comment, including on the question of whether Mamdani plans to bring a legal challenge.

The law sends quarterly installments of $2,500 next year to public school paraprofessionals, whose starting salary is about $32,600. The Council and UFT have said persistent low wages have led to a staffing shortage felt most acutely by students with disabilities.

Mamdani has said under New York labor rules known as the Taylor Law, pay must be negotiated at the bargaining table, not through Council legislation. The mayor enthusiastically supported an earlier, more costly version of the bill on the campaign trail, but changed his tune after he started governing.

The checks come with a price tag of $244 million over one year, two fiscal cycles, according to a Council fiscal impact statement. The payment is one-time and not used to calculate pension benefits.

—With Josephine Stratman

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