Following 20 months of stalled contract negotiations, on January 14 over 30,000 teachers in L.A., the second-largest school system in the country, went out on strike. This milestone protest took special significance not only for its sheer size, but for the part it played in the growing wave of teachers and other educational workers across the country, who have been standing up for themselves—and their students—via collective action.
In this new piece for RLS–NYC, labor columnist Kim Kelly presents us with a recap of the recent upsurge of protests that are sweeping the American education system in many states, gaining victories for workers and support from communities. According to the author, 2019 it’s already proving to be an incredibly important year for organized labor in the US. By fighting so hard for themselves and for future generations, America’s teachers have shown the rest of the labor movement—and the world—that there is still great power in a union, and we are always stronger together.
