Teacher Strikes

Education news, analysis, and opinion about labor actions by teachers that close or disrupt schools

Explainer

Teacher Strikes, Explained: Recent Strikes, Where They're Illegal, and More
Here's what to know about educator labor actions and how they've evolved since the 20th century.
Teaching Profession West Virginia Teacher Strike Ends After Four Days, Governor Announces Pay Raise
Teachers will receive a 5 percent raise, pending a vote by the state legislature. School will resume Thursday.
Madeline Will, February 27, 2018
2 min read
Jennifer Hanner, a first-year teacher from Harts, W.Va., center, holds a sign last week, outside the state Senate chambers at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. Teachers statewide went on strike Thursday over pay and benefits.
Jennifer Hanner, a first-year teacher from Harts, W.Va., center, holds a sign last week, outside the state Senate chambers at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. Teachers statewide went on strike Thursday over pay and benefits.
John Raby/AP
Teaching Profession News in Brief W.Va. Teachers Go on Strike Across State
A teacher strike shut down public schools across West Virginia last week, as educators called for higher wages and better benefits.
Madeline Will, February 27, 2018
1 min read
Teaching Profession West Virginia Teacher Strike Will Continue Into Day 4
Union leaders announced on Monday that the statewide teacher strike for higher wages and better benefits will continue for a fourth day.
Brenda Iasevoli, February 26, 2018
2 min read
Teaching Profession West Virginia Teachers' Strike for Higher Pay Has Shut Down Schools Across State
In West Virginia, teacher strikes and work stoppages are illegal, with possible punishments including suspensions, firings, and denial of pay.
Madeline Will, February 22, 2018
4 min read
Teaching Profession Several Districts Start the Year With Teacher Strikes
Teachers in Burlington, Vt., are headed back to work after a four-day strike. But strikes continue in two Pennsylvania districts.
Liana Loewus, September 20, 2017
1 min read
Teaching Profession Pa. Teacher Strike Ends After Five Weeks, But Union Could Strike Again in February
The long-running teachers' strike in the Dallas School District has ended for now, but the teachers' union and the district have not yet reached a collective bargaining agreement.
Madeline Will, December 21, 2016
2 min read
Teaching Profession Pa. Teacher Strike Continues for 20th School Day as Contract Negotiations Stall
Negotiations over the teachers' union's collective bargaining agreement have stalled over a health-care dispute.
Madeline Will, December 14, 2016
2 min read
Teaching Profession After Lengthy Impasse, Buffalo Teachers Seeking New Labor Pact
Teachers' union and school officials in the Buffalo, N.Y., district are working to hammer out a new labor agreement to replace one that expired a dozen years.
Denisa R. Superville, October 11, 2016
2 min read
Teachers picket outside Morgan Park High School in Chicago last month. Teachers in the nation’s third-largest public school district have overwhelmingly voted in support of a strike if a new contract can’t be reached, and the Chicago Teachers Union set Oct. 11 as the planned walkout date.
Teachers picket outside Morgan Park High School in Chicago last month. Teachers in the nation’s third-largest public school district have overwhelmingly voted in support of a strike if a new contract can’t be reached, and the Chicago Teachers Union set Oct. 11 as the planned walkout date.
M. Spencer Green/AP-File
Teaching Profession Negotiators Seeking to Avert Another Chicago Teachers' Strike
Failure to reach a deal could send teachers in the nation’s third-largest district onto the streets for a second mass walkout in four years.
Denisa R. Superville, October 7, 2016
5 min read
Teaching Profession Chicago Teachers Set to Strike Oct. 11, Pending Contract Negotiations
The Chicago Teachers' Union said Wednesday that it will go on strike beginning Oct. 11 if it does not reach an agreement with the district over a new contract.
Madeline Will, September 29, 2016
2 min read
The Chicago Transit Authority's Pink Line train passes over North Lawndale on the west side of Chicago.
The Chicago Transit Authority's Pink Line train passes over North Lawndale on the west side of Chicago.
Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
Law & Courts In Chicago School Funding Battles, Human Costs Are Steep
With district leaders at odds with the teachers' union and state officials over the city's K-12 finances, educators, parents, and students worry about the future.
9 min read
Jasmine Curtis, 16, a sophomore at Chicago’s Lindblom Math & Science Academy, listens to a geometry lesson.
Jasmine Curtis, 16, a sophomore at Chicago’s Lindblom Math & Science Academy, listens to a geometry lesson.
Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
Law & Courts Long Building, Chicago Schools' Fiscal Crisis Reaches Boiling Point
Having begged for state aid and borrowed millions at untenable rates, the district is rapidly approaching fiscal insolvency.
13 min read
States Opinion Teacher Protests: "Unethical" and Union-led--or Evidence of Professional Courage?
It's wrong to characterize this string of protests in Detroit as selfish actions taken by a minority of teachers--or a union-driven overreaction to a belt-tightening. There's a lot at stake here, beginning with the survival of a major public school system. Think this could never happen in your state or district? There doesn't seem to be much to prevent collapse of public education in Detroit, except for the professional courage of its teachers.
Nancy Flanagan, January 14, 2016
5 min read
Teaching Profession Opinion What's Going Down in Detroit Today?
Today, a group of Detroit teachers--fed up with Darnell Earley, the same Emergency Manager who presided over the Flint water scandal, and a raft of further harmful offenses to real Detroit children and their education--organized a sick-out. They did so in frustration, knowing full well they would be accused of greediness, or keeping children from their federally subsidized meals. They did so knowing they will be labeled "unprofessional," led around by their unions (false)--when their actions represent what is ultimately the core of what professionalism means: autonomy over important work.
Nancy Flanagan, January 11, 2016
6 min read