Teachers’ unions are a powerful force in American politics, representing 18 percent of all unionized workers and nearly four in five of those who participated in recent strikes. But the protests by school employees this year have highlighted a darker side to their activism. Strikes can create upheaval in the lives of students, and they can be illegal—even if public opinion is in favor of them.
The most obvious reason for teachers to strike is higher pay, but they also seek other policy changes. Often they want to influence the state policies that govern how much money is allocated to local schools, and they may try to exert some control over district policies like classroom sizes or staffing issues.
Despite the disruption, teacher strikes are often short. Only one in six last more than five days, and most end within two or three days. And although they cause a loss of student learning time, the average impact is less than ten school days.
Nonetheless, they are still disruptive and can create lasting problems for some students. For example, research shows that when students lose weeks of class, their academic progress lags. In addition, teachers’ strikes can contribute to chronic absenteeism, which is already on the rise in some districts.