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Schools, government office and businesses across the state have shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many teachers and service personnel, we’re reminded of our strike in 2018. In both instances, a crisis forced change on our state. This time, who will decide what changes are made — all West Virginians, or a powerful few? One thing we learned from our strike was that if you don’t make specific requests during a crisis, others will.
Review of Red State Revolt, by Eric Blanc (Verso, 2019). There has been a tendency to mythologize West Virginia’s nine-day education strike. By many popular accounts, my coworkers and I appeared to cohere ourselves out of thin air (or a Facebook group) as a fifty-five-strong, ready-to-strike mob. To be sure, our win was monumental and even shocking to many.
The PEIA Task Force, a vital part of the deal ending the West Virginia teacher and service personnel strike, was established in February by Gov. Jim Justice’s executive order.The order stated that “the Task Force shall also elicit public input from West Virginia state employees ...” who “... deserve an opportunity to be heard.”Thrilled to hear this after years of feeling unheard, public employees offered their ideas.
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