The current wave of teacher walkouts started a year ago this week when educators across West Virginia were out of the classroom for nine days. The movement spread to five more states before the school year was over.
New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that almost a half a million U.S. workers were off the job in strikes or lockouts during 2018, and nearly 400,000 of them were teachers. It was the biggest year for work stoppages since 1986.
This year, individual districts — such as Denver and Los Angeles — have picked up where states left off. Teachers in Oakland were on the picket lines Thursday and Friday, and Sacramento teachers could be next.
Educators say they're angry. They don't like how states and school districts treat them and their students. A lot of the frustration comes down to money, but dignity and respect are touchstones, too.
Why are teachers striking?
Teachers earn less than other workers with comparable experience and education — a gap that's widened in recent years. More than a million teachers aren't covered by Social Security. An NPR/Ipsos Poll conducted last April found that 59 percent of teachers have worked a second job, and 86 percent say they've spent their own money on classroom supplies.
In most states where teachers walked out of their classrooms last year — like Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado — teachers make even less than other educators across the country, especially after their pay is adjusted for cost of living.
Many of these educators were pressing for better pay and more funding for schools. Some got what they wanted — at least, they were promised it.
Then, a major Supreme Court decision last year dealt a blow to teachers unions. In Janus v. AFSCME, the court ruled that public sector unions can no longer collect money from nonmembers covered by collective bargaining agreements. That decision could potentially weaken teacher unions by cutting them off from money.
Many scholars predicted after the Janus decision that there would be more militant organizing, including more strikes. That's because unions may feel forced to prove their value to potential members, as the strength of bargaining agreements — which tend to include costly strike penalties — erodes along with union power.
In Los Angeles, educators got pay raises, smaller class sizes and more support personnel, among other things. Denver teachers secured better pay and changes to their controversial bonus system.
Compared with states, districts have been left in a tough spot when responding to teacher demands. During the strike in Los Angeles, for example, district leaders blamed the state for their funding woes. Funding to school districts comes from shifting, complicated combinations of local, state and federal sources, and in California, funding per student is well below the national average.
When the strike ended in Denver, Superintendent Susana Cordova said, "We're in the shape we're in because of the lack of will and the lack of collaboration at the state level to invest in our schools," as Colorado Public Radio reported.