Teacher strikes in the United States#Pennsylvania

The 1919 Boston police strike chilled union interest in the public sector in the 1920s. The major exception was the emergence of unions of public school teachers in the largest cities; they formed the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), affiliated with the AFL. In suburbs and small cities, the National Education Association (NEA) became active, but it insisted it was not a labor union but a professional organization.{{Cite book|last=Murphy|first=Marjorie|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.04395|title=Blackboard unions: the AFT and the NEA, 1900-1980|date=1992|publisher=Cornell University Press|hdl=2027/heb.04395|isbn=978-0-8014-8076-8|language=en}}

The legality of teacher strikes vary from state to state. Collective bargaining by public sector employees and therefore teachers is explicitly illegal in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. 12 states have explicitly stated that teacher strikes are legal. These states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming have no explicit statutes or case law on the subject.{{Cite web|title=Regulation of Public Sector Collective Bargaining in the States|url=https://cepr.net/documents/state-public-cb-2014-03.pdf|access-date=December 3, 2021}}

In states that explicitly ban strikes, teachers have employed alternative tactics, such as walkouts and sick-outs where the majority of teachers call in sick on the same day.{{Cite news|title=Teacher Strikes: 4 Common Questions|website=Education Week|date=13 March 2018 |url=https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teacher-strikes-4-common-questions/2018/03|access-date=December 3, 2021}}

{{Main|2018–2019 education workers' strikes in the United States}}

In February 2018, the US saw an education protest and strike movement, which began in West Virginia. Statewide, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Arizona followed suit. Demands varied from state to state but included funding sources for education, pension issues, increased pay.

Despite being explicitly allowed, Colorado had no teacher's strikes between 1994 and 2018. Pueblo Education Association went on strike May 2, 2018 asking for a 2% raise and $30 per a month for health insurance.{{Cite web|title=Teachers in Pueblo, Colorado vow to strike for 'as long as it takes'|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/long-it-takes-teacher-strike-pueblo-colorado-stretches-third-day-n872606|access-date=2021-12-03|website=NBC News|date=9 May 2018 |language=en}} The Denver Classroom Teachers Association, the largest teachers union in the state, went on strike in February 2019 over low pay, and issues around an unpredictable and unjust compensation model.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-09 |title=One year after Denver's historic teacher strike, what did the walkout accomplish? |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2020/02/09/denver-teacher-strike-anniversary/ |access-date=2022-08-17 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}

{{Main|2019 Chicago Public Schools Strike}}

A strike of Chicago Public School teachers that occurred in 2019 was significant enough to garner support from national politicians.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Mitch |date=2019-10-22 |title=National Democrats Signal Support as Chicago Teachers' Strike Stretches On |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/us/elizabeth-warren-chicago-teachers-strike.html |access-date=2022-07-01 |issn=0362-4331}}

Illinois holds the record for the longest teachers' strike to date. This was an eight month strike beginning in October 1986 in Homer, IL.{{Cite web |title=Notable Past Teachers' Strikes: 1986-1987 Strike In Downstate Homer Lasted 8 Months |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/notable-past-teachers-strikes-1986-1987-strike-in-downstate-homer-lasted-8-months/ |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=www.cbsnews.com |date=16 October 2019 |language=en-US}} After roughly one month, the school board hired strike breaking substitutes for much of the school year.{{Cite web|last=Mabry|first=Tim Mitchell tmitchel@news-gazette com By Rebecca|title=Two decades later, Homer teachers' strike still sore subject|url=https://www.news-gazette.com/news/two-decades-later-homer-teachers-strike-still-sore-subject/article_7b7b707f-c8ab-500b-89cf-a5557976b0c0.html|access-date=2021-12-13|website=The News-Gazette|date=12 November 2006 |language=en}}

Strikes involving public school teachers have occurred in Saint Paul in 1946 and Minneapolis in 1970.

Long Branch teachers and staff struck from October 22, 1974,{{Cite news |title=TEACHERS STRIKE IN LONG BRANCH; 6 of 10 Schools Are Closed in Pay Raise Dispute |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1974/10/23/79881158.html?pageNumber=95 |access-date=2023-11-15}} until November 3, 1974.{{Cite web |date=February 7, 1977 |title=Long Branch Bd. of Educ. v. Ass'n of Long Branch Educ. Secs. & Clerks, Inc. |url=https://www.perc.state.nj.us/percdecisions.nsf/IssuedDecisions/AD2742BE9BFBE87485256CB4006D7AB1/$File/PERC%2077-070.pdf?OpenElement |access-date=November 15, 2023 |website=New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission}}

Ohio holds the record for the second longest teachers' strike, which lasted for 85 days in 1981.{{Cite web|title=Ravenna, Ohio, Teachers' Strike - Ohio History Central|url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Ravenna,_Ohio,_Teachers%27_Strike|access-date=2021-12-13|website=ohiohistorycentral.org}}

The 2023 Portland Association of Teachers strike was the first teacher strike in district history.{{Cite web |date=November 2, 2023 |title=In Oregon, public school teachers are on strike in Portland |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/1210088902/public-school-teachers-in-portland-oregon-are-on-strike |access-date=November 15, 2023 |website=NPR}} The strike involved teachers and other PAT members at Portland Public Schools, the largest school district in Oregon. The strike began on November 1, 2023 and ended November 26, 2023.{{Cite web |title=Portland teachers strike continues Monday, gives new meaning to 'No School November' |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/12/portland-public-schools-teachers-strike-no-school-november/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=opb |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-27 |title=Portland Teachers’ Union and School District Sign a Deal |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/schools/2023/11/26/teachers-union-and-school-district-sign-a-deal/ |access-date=2024-03-10 |website=Willamette Week |language=en}}

The 2024 Greater Albany Education Association (GAEA) teacher strike began on November 12, 2024 in Greater Albany Public Schools in Albany, Oregon. The strike ended on December 2, 2024. This strike follows a tumultuous several years in the school district beginning with the election of several new school board members in 2021 and the subsequent firing without cause of the Superintendent at that time, Melissa Goff, in the middle of her contract period. Goff was eventually replaced with Superintendent Andy Gardner, whose salary has been set at a higher rate than any other Superintendent at similarly sized school district in Oregon, despite the district having some of the largest class sizes and lowest teacher salaries of any similarly sized districts in the state. Tensions have persisted in the district the past several years, culminating in the 2024 teacher strike.

Pennsylvania explicitly allows teachers to strike. However, since 1992 state act 88 gives the Pennsylvania Department of Education the power to order teachers to return to work to ensure that students still receive 180 days of instruction. This has subsequently reduced the frequency of teacher strikes in Pennsylvania, although the state still leads the nation in strikes.{{Cite web|title=School Districts, Teachers, at a Loss for Solution to Labor Strikes|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2013/09/05/School-districts-teachers-at-a-loss-for-solution-to-labor-strikes/stories/201309050340}} Between 2000 and 2007, Pennsylvania accounted for 60% of teacher strikes nationwide.{{Cite web|title=Strike-Free School Year|url=https://archive.triblive.com/news/strike-free-school-year-in-western-pa-called-an-anomaly-not-a-trend/#axzz38NXrVCJE}}{{Cite news|title=Mary Niederberger., Laws, tax limits hinder negotiations, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 5, 2013}} 2010 saw 3 strikes, while 2011 had one strike. Between 1968 and 2012 Pennsylvania has had 740 teacher strikes. A major cause of strikes in Pennsylvania is that contracts are frequently allowed to lapse for several years before the school board and teachers union can come to a new agreement.{{Cite web|last=CommonwealthFoundation.org|title=4 Facts on Pennsylvania Teacher Strikes|url=https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/policyblog/detail/4-facts-on-pennsylvania-teacher-strikes|access-date=2021-12-03|website=Commonwealth Foundation|date=13 April 2018 |language=en}}

The West Virginia statewide educator walkout in 2018 began the Red for Ed movement.

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Category:Education labor disputes in the United States

Category:Strikes in the United States

Category:Labor history of the United States