Almost half a million workers were involved in major work stoppages in the US in 2018, new Labor Department data shows. It’s the highest figure since 1986.
The labor unrest was driven by a wave of teacher strikes that spread from West Virginia to Oklahoma and Kentucky with more than 100,000 going on strike. 267,000 more teachers in Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina staged walkouts.
Advocates began campaigning years before the strikes even began and captured national headlines. Legislative action committees and social-media groups created by organizers were instrumental to the movement. They began to hold local rallies and the rallies became commonplace.
Organizers say the teachers’ strike movement grew with the idea that the government could be swayed by mass actions.
Photo: “Milwaukee Public School Teachers and Supporters Picket Outside Milwaukee Public Schools Adminstration Building Milwaukee Wisconsin 4-24-18 1070” by Charles Edward Miller is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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