The Teachers Revolt in West Virginia
“It’s hard to characterize the surprise that many of us felt who have studied the labor movement
in this state,” said Ken Fones-Wolf, a labor historian at West Virginia University.
Nevertheless, in a revival of West Virginia’s long-dormant tradition of bold labor activism, teachers
and some other school employees in all of the state’s 55 counties are refusing to return to work until lawmakers give them a 5 percent raise, and commit to addressing their rapidly rising health insurance premiums.
In the past, solid health care benefits helped make up for low wages, but because West Virginia hasn’t been putting enough money into the state agency
that insures public employees, premiums and co-payments have been increasing significantly.
