Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed a bill allowing Chicago school principals to unionize and possibly go on strike. But Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, also a Democrat and in an equally liberal state, said just the other day she opposes legislation that would explicitly permit teachers to strike.
Across the country, teachers and other employees in public schools continue to struggle with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, even as pressure from parents and politicians ramps up on divisive matters such as LGBTQ-themed library books and classroom discussions of racism and gender identity.
Add perennially poor pay to the mix, and the result is deep dissatisfaction among educators — and threats of work stoppages that are splitting even union-supporting Democrats.
