More than 100 teachers and supporters formed a picket line outside Knoch High School in Saxonburg, Pa., on Sept. 21 to kick off a strike. Teachers in the South Butler County School District, 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, have been without a contract since June 2008. They held an earlier strike last year from Oct. 23 to Nov. 18.
In an interview with Liberation, Butch Santicola, director of field programs for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said the teachers are on strike to demand improved working conditions, salaries and benefits.
The 181 teachers in the district serve 2,850 students. They are seeking a 4.3 percent pay increase, lower monthly costs for health insurance and the defeat of a proposed increase in work hours. Pennsylvania state law requires that students be in school for 180 days, which means the strike can last through Oct. 6. The teachers intend to continue their picket line.
Santicola told Liberation that people have to stand up against anti-worker and anti-union tactics. “Join a union, form an organization,” Santicola advises workers.
