KGUN 9NewsNational News

Actions

Teachers succeed by framing strikes as for common good

Teacher strikes.jpg
Posted at 5:48 PM, Jan 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-26 19:48:02-05

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles teachers who declared a victory after a six-day strike have added momentum to a wave of activism by educators.

They've tapped a common theme and found success by framing their cause as a push to improve public education, not just get pay raises.

Los Angeles teachers, for example, demanded smaller class sizes and more nurses and counselors for students before returning to work in the nation's second-largest school district Wednesday.

Teachers in Denver, Oakland, Virginia, Texas, Washington and Illinois are planning rallies, marches and, in some cases, strikes of their own. The actions have fed off one another since the movement began last spring in West Virginia.

In several states, governors and lawmakers are moving pre-emptively to address grievances by proposing more money for education.