2018 U.S. teacher strikes

2018 U.S. teacher strikes
Title	2018 U.S. teacher strikes
Date	2018
Place	United States
Result	Widespread bargaining gains, legislative proposals, increased union activity

2018 U.S. teacher strikes were a series of coordinated and spontaneous labor actions by educators, paraprofessionals, and school staff across multiple states in 2018 that culminated in significant regional walkouts, negotiations, and political mobilization. The actions connected municipal and state-level disputes over pay, staffing, and funding and intersected with national organizations, legislative bodies, and electoral politics. The wave drew participation from teachers affiliated with longstanding unions and newly energized local associations and prompted responses from governors, legislatures, and courts.

Background and causes

Labor unrest in 2018 built on historical campaigns led by unions such as National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union, Teamsters, and local affiliates like Chicago Teachers Union and United Teachers Los Angeles. Prior milestones that informed strategy included the 2012 Chicago teachers strike, the 2016 Oakland teachers strike, and the 2012 Wisconsin protests, which influenced tactics used by activists associated with AFT Connecticut, NEA-New York, and Oklahoma Education Association. Economic pressures traced to state-level fiscal choices by officials including Scott Walker, Rick Snyder, John Kasich, and Scott Walker's contemporaries contributed to disputes over pension policy administered by entities such as the California Public Employees' Retirement System and Public Employees' Retirement System of Ohio. Political contexts involved alignments with elected figures like Gretchen Whitmer, Mary Fallin, Jerry Brown, and Doug Ducey and debates in legislatures including the California State Legislature, Oklahoma Legislature, and West Virginia Legislature. Precipitating issues included compensation negotiations influenced by organizations like the Council of Great City Schools, staffing levels shaped by districts such as Los Angeles Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, and Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and curriculum and accountability concerns tied to laws such as No Child Left Behind Act and state statutes in Arizona, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

Major strikes and timelines

Actions began in early 2018 and peaked in spring with high-profile strikes in West Virginia, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Colorado. In February, educators organized through West Virginia Education Association and AFT-West Virginia initiated statewide walkouts affecting counties including Kanawha County, West Virginia and Raleigh County, West Virginia, pressing figures like Jim Justice and prompting involvement from the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. In March, strikes in Arizona involved local unions such as Arizona Education Association in districts including Tucson Unified School District and Mesa Public Schools, challenging policies from Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Legislature. Simultaneously, Oklahoma Education Association members staged walkouts in districts including Oklahoma City Public Schools and Tulsa Public Schools with debates involving Mary Fallin and the Oklahoma State Legislature. Colorado saw mobilization in districts like Jefferson County Public Schools and Denver Public Schools engaging with authorities such as Jared Polis and the Colorado General Assembly. Other localized actions occurred in Los Angeles, Chicago, Westchester County, New York, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Seattle, influenced by unions including United Teachers Los Angeles and Chicago Teachers Union and labor allies like AFL–CIO affiliates.

Legal and political responses

State and municipal actors responded with a mix of negotiation, legislation, and litigation. Governors including Jim Justice, Doug Ducey, and Mary Fallin engaged with legislatures such as the Arizona Legislature and Oklahoma Legislature to address funding and pay, while attorneys general like Patrick Morrisey and Ken Paxton reacted to labor actions. Judicial orders from state courts and interventions by agencies such as state departments of education shaped timelines for returning to work in jurisdictions like West Virginia and Arizona. Political coalitions, campaign committees, and interest groups such as Americans for Prosperity, National Republican Congressional Committee, Democratic National Committee, and advocacy groups including Stand for Children and Teach Plus participated in public lobbying and electoral messaging during and after strikes. Legislative proposals emerged in capitols including Phoenix, Arizona, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Denver, Colorado, and Charleston, West Virginia addressing pay raises, taxation, and collective bargaining rights.

Impact on education and communities

Strikes disrupted instructional calendars in districts such as Kanawha County Schools, Tucson Unified School District, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools, and Denver Public Schools, affecting students represented by organizations like National School Boards Association and feeding responses from local officials including city councils and mayors such as Eric Garcetti and Rahm Emanuel. Community actors including parent groups, faith organizations like Catholic Charities USA, and nonprofit providers such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America mobilized to provide childcare and meals. Economic impacts were debated by chambers of commerce including U.S. Chamber of Commerce affiliates and municipal finance offices, while civil society responses involved labor allies like SEIU Local 99 and political advocacy groups such as MoveOn.org.

Media coverage and public opinion

National and local outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Arizona Republic, The Oklahoman, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Tucson Sentinel, NPR, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Associated Press, and Reuters covered actions extensively. Polling organizations such as Pew Research Center, Gallup, and Quinnipiac University recorded shifts in approval for unions and policy priorities, while commentators from think tanks like Brookings Institution, Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, and Economic Policy Institute weighed in on fiscal implications. Social media platforms and campaigns coordinated by groups including Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and online portals like Change.org amplified grassroots organizing.

Outcomes and policy changes

Immediate outcomes included negotiated pay increases and supplemental funding in states including West Virginia, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Colorado, with settlements involving district leaders and state officials such as superintendents from Los Angeles Unified School District and chairs of state education boards. Legislative outcomes ranged from budgetary adjustments in state legislatures to bills addressing teacher recruitment, retention, and certification processes debated in bodies like the California State Assembly and Arizona Legislature. Some jurisdictions pursued pension reforms involving entities like Teacher Retirement System of Texas and Public Employees' Retirement Association of Colorado; others created task forces and commissions modeled on recommendations from think tanks including Education Commission of the States.

Legacy and subsequent movements

The 2018 actions catalyzed later activism, informing campaigns such as the 2019 Red for Ed continuations, local union strategies employed by Chicago Teachers Union in later contract fights, and broader labor organizing in sectors represented by SEIU and UNITE HERE. The movement influenced electoral politics, contributing to mobilization seen in mayoral and gubernatorial contests involving figures like Gavin Newsom, Jared Polis, and state legislators who sponsored education funding bills. It also fed into national debates on public-sector unions involving litigation such as Janus v. AFSCME and legislative initiatives in state capitols, while spawning research from universities including Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Teachers College, Columbia University evaluating long-term impacts on staffing, student outcomes, and labor relations. Category:Teacher strikes in the United States