When Women Organize, We Win: Lessons From the West Virginia Teachers' Strike

[ffr]

Charleston, West Virginia -- The bottom-up, militant wildcat strike that resulted in the March 6 declaration of an across-the-board raise of 5 percent for all public employees in West Virginia has drawn substantial national attention, but it's been less noticed that the strike of teachers and school service personnel -- who are overwhelmingly women -- took place in the context of one of the most serious crackdowns on women's rights in West Virginia history.

Tuesday's deal, which includes a freeze on health care cost increases, in addition to the pay raise, marked a victory in a crucial battle against public sector austerity, but as a majority-woman workforce, the strikers' lives and livelihoods are still threatened by the local right-wing assault on abortion rights. - Truthout

[left-of-center2012]

1. Were there no male teachers on strike?

Let's give credit to all the teachers.