Tag Archives: teacher strikes

Teacher unions say they’re fighting for students and schools – what they really want is more members

Teacher unions say they’re fighting for students and schools – what they really want is more members

When schoolteachers in Los Angeles went on a weeklong strike in January, the head of the local teachers union described it as a “battle for the soul of public education.” When Denver public school teachers went on a three-day strike in February, they did it in the name of “schools Denver students deserve.” When teachers began their […] … learn more→

What’s behind the teacher strikes: Unions focus on social justice, not just salaries

What’s behind the teacher strikes: Unions focus on social justice, not just salaries

For the past few years I’ve been studying teacher unions and teachers strikes throughout the Americas. My research has taken me from the Mexican state of Oaxaca – where teacher protests in 2006 led to both violent repression and a broad-based social movement for direct democracy – to the streets of São Paulo, Brazil, to coal-mining towns in West Virginia. I’ve […] … learn more→