Micah Uetricht on Strike for America
Public schools are one of the last bastions of the commons in the US, and they're under attack from all sides. In the middle of the fray stand teachers, rank and file members of some of the biggest unions left in the country. Unfortunately, the leadership of those unions has been working harder to stay in power than to fight for better schools.
That genral trend was thrown into high contrast in 2012, when 90% of the entire Chicago Teacher's Union, AFT Local #1, voted to strike for The Schools Chicago Students Deserve.
In his quick, accessible, 130 page book Strike for America, Jacobin online editor and labor journalist Micah Uetricht shows us the years of planning, progress and pitfalls that predated the miraculous events of September 2012. It's an important book for those who believe in public education, those who believe in worker's rights, and those who want to understand how to make things happen.
Watch the video of his talk at Red Emma's:
