The Importance of the West Virginia Teachers' Strike

For a week now, every county in West Virginia has shut down its schools because teachers in the state are on strike. Their demands include a raise and more state resources for the state employees' health insurance fund. They had been scheduled to receive only 2% this year and 1% each of the next two years, while being expected to pay more for their insurance costs.  Many teachers have already been working multiple jobs to provide a living for themselves and their families, and they decided to act. 

When word of the impending strike - which is technically illegal in West Virginia under a law banning strikes among public employees -  got out, state authorities seriously considered pursuing a court order forcing the teachers back to work. They passed a bill empowering the governor to disperse demonstrations by force, if necessary.

The teachers did not back down, and school boards in every county in West Virginia voted to close when they struck. Shortly thereafter, the hilariously named Governor Jim Justice announced that West Virginia teachers would instead receive 5% raises and committed to forming a task force to address issues with the insurance fund. Teachers' unions have for their part have continued to demonstrate at the state capitol until the legislature approves the deal. The state House and Senate are currently reconciling the differences in their two approval bills so that one can be sent to the governor to become law.

The strike demonstrates an important point about what politics really is and how it is done effectively that I would like to address at some length. The teachers were initially informed that there simply wasn't any money in the state budget for their raise. True as it may be in that state or many others, why on earth is there not sufficient money in state budgets to adequately pay the people training the minds of our children?

Part of the reason that state budgets operate on such thin margins is that Medicaid costs - a large proportion of which are paid by state governments - are rising because of large and sustained increases in medical costs. The national government has a similar problem, with the added cost of Medicare in the mix. 

That being said, state governments have been slashing tax rates and eliminating certain taxes altogether at an alarming pace for two decades. The cuts are made in the name of competitiveness and ostensibly to bring business and new residents to the state in question, but in tandem with medical inflation they have left the states with relatively little cash on hand. Other priorities - education in particular - have been shortchanged as a result.

This is a much more serious problem than is frequently discussed. States, cities, and towns across the country are falling over themselves to give preferential treatment to large corporations in exchange for huge influxes of investment. The calculation is an easy one to make - local leaders get glowing press and photo-ops, and a tangible place and number of jobs for which they can claim credit. Favorable tax treatment, zoning privileges, and exemptions from certain regulations have all been used to lure big business and in the process advantage large corporations against smaller local enterprises. Meanwhile, public priorities at the state and local level suffer for lack of funds.

Our national discussion about what it means to be a democracy tends to be centered on the right to vote and regular elections, which are undoubtedly vital. But more is required for a government to be genuinely by and for the people. If voters are to be the passive recipients of whatever policy their elected representatives devise, then those with proximity to representatives - via campaign donations, lobbying or even personal relationships - will have an advantage in the policymaking process.

This is where the West Virginia teachers come in. If the decisions made in our governments do not align with our social priorities then the people making decisions need to be made sufficiently uncomfortable to reconsider their plan of action. Direct action is the only way to make that happen. An event like a statewide teachers' strike is felt in every corner of society. People no longer have the option of turning a blind eye. Teachers are such sympathetic figures and the fact that they are poorly served by state governments is so widely known that when people are forced to choose sides the decision is a simple one.

There are a number of power struggles across our society in which the potential efficacy of direct action is not well appreciated. But the example of people willing to take up the struggle has a salutary effect on other groups considering taking action themselves. Already, Oklahoma teachers have indicated that they intend to follow the example of their West Virginian compatriots. The last twelve months haven't given us a great deal to be happy about, but this is something that ought to be supported and celebrated. If we are lucky, it may spark a wave of activism that would genuinely improve peoples' everyday lives and help refocus social priorities.