West Virginia Teachers Win - Big Time

Bout Time

In West Virginia the teacher salaries for beginning teachers is close to minimum wage levels in other places, and the salaries of experienced teachers is pretty low.  So it is with great pleasure we report that teachers who went out on strike have won big raises.

A teachers’ strike that ground public schools to a halt across West Virginia is set to end on Thursday, a week after it began, Gov. James C. Justice and teachers’ union representatives said Tuesday night.

Mr. Justice, a Republican, said that he had promised the state’s teachers a 5 percent raise, and that he would create a task force to address the problem of rising insurance costs for public employees, a key issue in the strike.

“We need our kids back in school, and we need our teachers back in school,” said Mr. Justice, who said he was “hopeful” that state lawmakers would go along with his proposals, which would also give all state employees a 3 percent raise.

So what changed? Well here was the earlier situation.

Teachers crying “We’ll get louder,” and carrying signs with slogans like “WV teachers deserve better” flooded the State Capitol, their voices echoing through the halls. The teachers frequently cited data showing that they are among the lowest-paid public educators in the United States.

Ok, they are still going to be among the lowest paid. But at least they are getting some of the pay progress they deserve.