An
indispensable window into the changing shape of the American working
class and American politics
Thirteen
months after Trump allegedly captured the allegiance of “the white
working class,” a strike wave—the first in over four
decades—rocked the United States. Inspired by the wildcat victory
in West Virginia, teachers in Oklahoma, Arizona, and across the
country walked off their jobs and shut down their schools to demand
better pay for educators, more funding for students, and an end to
years of austerity.
Confounding
all expectations, these working-class rebellions erupted in regions
with Republican electorates, weak unions, and bans on public sector
strikes. By mobilizing to take their destinies into their own hands,
red state school workers posed a clear alternative to politics as
usual. And with similar actions now gaining steam in Los Angeles,
Oakland, Denver, and Virginia, there is no sign that this upsurge
will be short-lived.
Red
State Revolt
is a compelling analysis of the emergence and development of this
historic strike wave, with an eye to extracting its main strategic
lessons for educators, labor organizer, and radicals across the
country. A former high school teacher and longtime activist, Eric
Blanc embedded himself into the rank-and-file leaderships of the
walkouts, where he was given access to internal organizing meetings
and secret Facebook groups inaccessible to most journalists. The
result is one of the richest portraits of the labor movement to date,
a story populated with the voices of school workers who are winning
the fight for the soul of public education—and redrawing the
political map of the country at large.