Last week, NYC’s socialist mayor filed a lawsuit to stop a law passed by the City Council to provide one-time $10,000 bonuses to low-paid school aides who typically work with students with special needs. The lawsuit, reports the WSJ, marks a surprising rift between “the Democratic socialist mayor and the United Federation of Teachers, the influential labor group that represents the aides, as well as teachers in the nation’s largest school system.

It also turns out to be an about-face for Mamdani. In last year’s mayoral election, Mamdani had the endorsement of the union and said during his campaign that he supported the bonuses.

Broad implications face Mamdani, who focused his campaign on affordability and has walked picket lines for workers seeking better wages. The teacher’s union is angry. Interesting: how will other city unions react to the rift between the mayor and other unions representing city workers who helped sweep Mamdani into office?

Teachers Union: an Important Base

From Michael Petrilli, president of Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education reform think tank:

It’s always surprising when you see a big rift between the teachers unions and Democratic politicians, especially a pretty far-left Democratic politician,”

Conventional wisdom would say that Democratic politicians try not to get sideways with important parts of their constituency and the teachers unions are such an important base.