Pennsylvania State Representative Todd
Rock has introduced a bill to outlaw strikes by teachers. The
proposal punishes educators who exercise their right to strike with
lost pay, fines for labor leaders and attacks on union finances.
Daryl Metcalfe, Rock’s ally, wants to add the ban on teachers’
strikes to the state constitution. Metcalfe also seeks to ban gay
marriage and revoke birthright citizenship.
Opponents of organized labor attempt to
divide teachers and the community by arguing that strikes harm
students. However, it is school boards, seeking to roll back the
gains won by teachers over years of struggle, that are responsible
for strikes, not teachers. The same boards institute furlough days as
a budget saving measure with little concern for educators, students
or families.
If efforts to cripple teachers’
unions are successful, labor as a whole will be severely weakened.
All working people should recognize that “an injury to one is an
injury to all” and stand in solidarity with educators in
Pennsylvania.
