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ARTICLE · 25 OCTOBER 2026

Pattern Bargaining Wasn't Intended To Be A Straitjacket – Here's How We Fix It

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New York City's upcoming round of public-sector bargaining is renewing debate over the city's long-standing use of "pattern bargaining," with critics arguing that the rigid approach has contributed to wage inequities, recruitment challenges, and retention issues among essential workers. Legal experts propose a more flexible framework that would allow targeted departures from bargaining patterns...

United StatesEmployment and HR
Alan M. Klinger
Alan M. Klinger
Dina Kolker
Dina Kolker
Alexander Langer
Alexander Langer

NYC paraprofessionals, who work teachers' aides, are one of several groups of workers who argue that they have been left behind by the city's pattern bargaining tradition that unions adhere to. Earlier this year the City Council passed legislation granting the paraprofessionals one-time $10,000 bonuses.

Labor relations in New York city between the city and its public-sector workforce are widely regarded as the most complex of any in the nation, with some 100 public-sector unions bargaining with the city over the terms and conditions of employment for approximately 300,000 employees. The city was an innovator in this space, being the first municipality anywhere in the country to collectively bargain with its workforce, beginning in 1958.

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