The teachers striking in Minneapolis follow a long trend of educators unionizing against school boards to acquire higher pay and more resources for students.
On March 8, teachers in the town of Minneapolis, Minnesota failed to show up to their classrooms. With reasons cited ranging from poor pay, low diversity, virtually nonexistent personal protective equipment from COVID-19 to a sad amount of resources to bolster students’ mental health, Minnesota teachers took to the streets and schools shuttered their doors. Over the course of March, more than 30,000 students could not attend their normal school days, with their teachers utilizing their right to peaceably assemble to petition for greater consideration towards educators and the support staff necessary to provide a consistent, high-quality education.
These strikes emerge from a consistent trend occurring over the last several years. Oklahoma itself had a large teachers’ movement with educators flocking to the state capital. However, Oklahoma teachers technically did not go on strike because teachers are not allowed to unionize in Oklahoma. Similarly, Sacramento, CA is currently facing their own round of strikes inspired by the Minnesota walkouts. Such drastic actions are not done in haste, with the Minneapolis teachers’ union negotiating with the school board before, during and after the movement. However, instead of waiting for the union to call a vote, the Board of Education in Minneapolis continued to pressure the teachers with robocalls going out to parents before the strike officially ended.
The main achievements set out by the teachers’ union focus on the multi-billion budget surplus held by the Minnesota state government in comparison to the $24,000 a year salary for the non-teaching educational support professionals. With the state government only expecting a $7 billion surplus, the current $9.25 billion offers the potential, from the strikers’ perspective, to facilitate the creation of more jobs while increasing salaries for current employees. Before the strike, some teachers were unable to meet the cost of living, some living in their cars and others relying on additional jobs or money sources to provide for themselves. Teachers were looking for a 3% raise for the next academic year for teachers and educational professionals, with an additional 3% the year after. However, even with the expansion of salary, the Minneapolis school teachers would make several thousand dollars less per year than teachers in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This coincides with a declining rate of student enrollment, with very little indication as to why these numbers are dropping.
With approximately 4,500 workers striking and schools closed, some families that rely on public schools to provide lunch or watch over their children are facing increasing issues with either finding free childcare or paying out of pocket. The depressed job market in the wake of the pandemic also exacerbates these issues. With low salaries, atrophying student enrollment rates and the perception that the school board cares very little about them, teachers were pushed over the edge. The two primary points agreed upon by the strike negotiation team and the school board focus on the demanded salary increases already mentioned and a multi-million dollar infusion of cash targeting the current student mental health crisis in Minneapolis schools.
As the strike concludes, it seems to be a stepping stone in the grander conflict between school boards and educators.
