West Virginia Teachers Didn’t Want to Strike. Now They Won’t Stop
- Low pay, little to lose, and lack of bargaining fuel showdown
- Supreme Court right-to-work ruling could spur more strikes
A special education teacher from Jackson County holds her sign outside of the capitol building in Charleston, West Virginia on Feb. 27, 2018.
Photographer: Craig Hudson/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
A week ago, thousands of public school teachers in West Virginia went out on strike, a rare but familiar union-organized action to protest low wages and rising health-care costs. Tuesday night, state union leaders and the Governor Jim Justice reached a deal, and the teachers were expected to be back at work on Thursday.
They didn’t go.