A teacher from Arizona participates in a Red-State Revolt teacher strike
About
West Virginia teachers began going on strike on February 2nd, 2018 in response to their health care benefits being cut. The teachers stayed out of the classroom for nine days total, protested in the capital of Charleston and generated national headlines. They demanded a raise for public school teacher salaries, as well as an increase in pay for all public and state employees; with many teachers citing the fact that they often have to take on second jobs over the summer and on the weekends to help support their families. Teachers also asked for an increase in funding for schools as teachers addressed the fact that they will regularly dip into their own pockets to pay for classroom materials. After seeing the headlines generated out of West Virginia, teachers in Oklahoma began going on strike April 2nd with similar demands. Teachers are also preforming protests in Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina, Colorado, Washington, and Florida.
Goals
The goals from the Oklahoma and West Virginia teachers who participated in this movement were similar. Both wanted an increase in teacher pay as well as an increase in pay for all state employees. Both groups also wanted additional funding for public schools to be allocated in the state budget by the state government. The short-term goals in turn reflect the longer term goals that participants in this movement have in mind. By increasing teacher pay, there will be a larger incentive for people to become teachers. By creating the incentivization to become a teacher, more high-quality individuals will likely aspire to be a teacher. With better teachers in place, students will become better educated and will be more prepared to be successful upon graduation. Also, by increasing school funding, teachers will have more money at their disposal, so the can update their classrooms with the newest materials, textbooks, and technology. These updated classrooms will make for a better, more productive learning environment for students, which in turn should increase their overall educational experience and again result in the students being more prepared and motivated to reach their goals upon completion of their public education. Outside of just education, increasing the salary for all state employees will boost consumer's confidence and led to more investments and spending within that state, which will in turn help boost the state's economy and revenue.
History
The movement in West Virginia began when the deductibles and co-pays that public employees had to been when receiving health care began increasing. Health care benefits had recently begun to replace monetary raises for public school teachers in West Virginia, so when the deductibles began increasing, the teachers felt that they were really receiving no benefits from the state. In response to this a Facebook page titled "West Virginia Public Employees United" was created to help unite public employees across the state. People began posting their stories and raising awareness about the problems and by February the page had over 24,000 members. This allowed for ground-up organizing from individuals as well as members of unions just as the West Virginia Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. This helped spark the movement that would grow to include teachers and schools from all 55 counties in West Virginia, and eventually led to all public employees receiving a 5% raise, as mentioned earlier. After seeing the success of the West Virginia movement, a teacher in Oklahoma began a similar public Facebook page to the one the West Virginians used and it too grew very popular in a short amount of time. Through this Facebook page teachers from around the state participated in the same ground-up organizing and the strike followed shortly thereafter, leading to the teacher and teacher assistant raises.
Response to action
In both Oklahoma and West Virginia the state legislators were initially resistance to the movement, urging teachers to go back to school immediately. However, as it became increasingly apparent that teachers in both states were not going to go back anytime soon and as the movements began to gain national media attention, the state governments eventually began to change their stance. The state government of West Virginia met all of the demands of the teachers, resulting in the salary increase for all state employees. In Oklahoma teachers and teacher assistants received raises, but the government refused to comply wit the demand the increase public school funding and also did not provide raises to all state employees. However, after the increase in salaries some government employees, specifically members of the State Legislatures in both states, remained critical of the decision, citing that the increase in teacher's salaries would likely result in money being cut from other parts of the government's budget such as Medicare and Medicaid, which many people utilize in both West Virginia and Oklahoma. However, West Virginia governor Jim Justice assured people that no money would be cut from the Medicaid or Medicare budgets. In Oklahoma, the funding for the raises will come from higher taxes on oil and gas production, tobacco, motor fuels, and online sales. Oklahoma will also allow for ball and dice gambling, which will be taxed.
Outcomes
The West Virginia strike was very successful with teachers receiving all their demands after being on strike for 9 straight days. Teachers and all state employees received a 5% pay increase. The strike in Oklahoma ended on April 12th, with teachers labeling the strikes as a partial success. Teachers will receive a pay increase of $6000 and teacher assistants receiving an increase of $1250. However no additional funding for schools will be provided in the state budget. The movements were also successful in generating new spaces for the everyday American who may feel that their voice or opinion cannot make a difference on a state or national level. Now people from guidance counselors to bus drivers to coal miners can move forward more confidently knowing that if they feel mistreated by their employers, there are actions that can be undertaken to generate real, tangible change
Groups
Movements
Teachers in Washington state have recently begun participating in the movement as well
Oklahoma teachers gather in the capital, Oklahoma City, to protest low pay and school funding
Students protest alongside their teachers in West Virginia
A Look Back at the 2018 WV Public School Employee Strike
Charleston Gazette-Mail
West Virginia Raises Teachers' Pay to End Statewide Strike
New York Times
What to Know About the Latest Statewide Teacher Strike - This One in Arizona
Fortune
- https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2018/05/02/arizona-teacher-redfored-walkout-really-end-thursday-legislature-budget/574251002/
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-arizona-education/schools-in-arizona-and-colorado-set-to-stay-closed-due-to-teacher-strike-idUSKBN1I11MJ
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/05/01/could-north-carolinas-teachers-be-next-to-strike-heres-the-mess-theyre-in/?utm_term=.afc1eb43571f