Did the 2012 Chicago teachers' strike ignite a labor spark that is now going to spread to other teacher unions around the country?
Portland, Oregon teachers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike last week.
Now, the St. Paul Minnesota teachers are considering striking. Their last strike was in 1946.
Here is probably the most interesting paragraph of the piece on St. Paul from Twin Cities.com:
A teacher strike in Chicago shuttered schools there for seven school days in 2012. Educators in Portland, Ore., announced a vote earlier this week had cleared the way for a walkout there. In these districts and others, educator unions are asserting a will to shape a national public education agenda through contract negotiations that go well beyond traditional compensation issues.
Some would call this social justice unionism.
Beyond the classroom, Long Island Railroad workers voted unanimously to walk off the job. It would be their first strike since 1994.
Update from Jeff Kaufman:
Don't forget about the 21,000 member University of California, AFSCME 3299, whose members plan to vote this week on a strike!
Is the US changing before our eyes? Is labor militancy gaining steam?
9 comments:
Workers are fed up. We are falling further and further behind as the gap between the haves and the have nots widens. The wealthy are constantly being awarded tax breaks while my take home pay shrinks.
Time to say no more. I agree
Don't forget about the 21,000 member University of California, AFSCME 3299, whose members plan to vote this week on a strike!
Let's add them.
mulgrew doesn't have the cajones to call for a strike. Strike is a 4 letter word to him.
Anon 12:21:
In NY we have the Taylor Law. Your big Cajones don't pay your rent when you lose two days pay for ever day you work. Some of our members live paycheck to paycheck. Particularly the younger teachers and all the Paras.
Striking is the easy way. It is the MORE way out. it is true leadership NOT to strike and wait and bargain your way to labor peace.
Where has bargaining left us?
crappy work conditions/low teacher morale.loss of senority,loss of 1.25% on our TDA.why must me always take whatever abuse is thrown at us? to take no action against these abuses is weakness.
According to a comment on Ravitch
blog, teachers in Medford, Oregon are on strike too!
I actually agree with what looks like a Unity slug when it comes to a strike here. But with a 180 degree twist. The UFT cannot strike because so many members don't give a shit about an undemocratic top-down union. Imagine if they called a strike. Do you think Mulgrew could get over 90% to sign on like they did in Chicago? Yes we have 2 for 1 -- I suffered that when we struck in 1975 but we felt we had to make some kind of stand. It was Shanker who killed that strike and 15,000 people were laid off. They were worth risking 2 for 1. But it was the UFT that was really affected when they lost certain things - I am not sure but maybe dues checkoff and people at headquarters actually had to go back to schools. The biggest threat of a strike is to Unity Caucus.
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