Teachers strike — a public protest that can force schools to close — when their contract with a school district expires and the parties are unable to agree on a new one during the collective bargaining process. These strikes are rare, but they can have powerful effects. They signal to the public that a teacher’s issue is serious, and they can push state lawmakers toward reform.
A first-of-its-kind study finds that, on average, a teachers’ strike results in higher pay for teachers and improvements to working conditions, including per-pupil funding, smaller class sizes, and investments in non-teaching workers like nurses and social workers. The study’s authors also found that there was no sizable negative effect on student learning.
Although it is illegal to strike in most states, a majority of the public supports educators’ rights to do so. And it’s not unusual to see parents and students rallying behind teachers on the picket lines.
In the US, teachers are allowed to strike over a variety of issues, but they generally walk out in large numbers to demand better wages and health care benefits. Historically, these strikes are local and focus on specific issues in a district, but every now and then, teachers across all or parts of a state come together to protest a larger issue.