2018 West Virginia teachers ' strike - wikipedia 2018 West Virginia teachers ' strike 2018 West Virginia teachers ' strike Part of the 2018 teachers ' strikes in the United States WV Teacher Strike at Bunker Hill Elementary School in Berkeley County, West Virginia. Date February 23, 2018 ( 2018 - 02 - 23 ) -- March 7, 2018 ( 2018 - 03 - 07 ) Location West Virginia Methods Occupation Demonstrations Internet activism Walkout Resulted in 5 % pay raise for teachers Parties to the civil conflict American Federation of Teachers National Education Association Industrial Workers of the World West Virginia Senate West Virginia House of Delegates Lead figures Dale Lee Jim Justice The West Virginia teachers ' strike began on February 22, 2018 with a call from the West Virginia branches of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association for teachers across West Virginia to strike. The strike, called in response to anger among teachers and other school employees over low pay and high health care costs, involved roughly 20,000 teachers and public school employees and shut down schools in all 55 West Virginia counties, affecting some 250,000 students. It lasted until March 7, 2018. The strike inspired teachers in other states, including Oklahoma, Colorado, and Arizona, to take similar action. Teachers in other states, including North Carolina and Kentucky have also coordinated protests and walkouts on a smaller scale. Contents 1 Salary demands 2 Health insurance costs 3 The Strike and Negotiations 4 Reactions to the Strike 5 See also 6 References Salary demands The strike was called in response to the low pay of West Virginia teachers, whose compensation ranks 48th in the United States. The strike also responded to a pay raise passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Jim Justice that provided only a 2 % raise for 2019, and 1 % raise for 2020 and a 1 % raise for 2021 and a freeze on premiums for 16 months to benefits. The teachers ' unions did not release vote totals for the strike. Every public school district in the state closed to avoid confrontations. It was the first such strike since 1990. According to some analysts, West Virginia teachers had a stronger negotiating position in the strike because many teaching positions remain unfilled. Teachers say that because of low pay in West Virginia, the state has difficulty attracting and retaining teachers. Health insurance costs WV Teacher Strike at Bunker Hill Elementary School in Berkeley County, West Virginia One of the major issues involved funding for the Public Employees Insurance Agency, the state health insurance plan. The West Virginia Legislature had voted to boost state contributions to the plan by using a percentage of the annual state surplus, but the teachers ' unions were demanding a more reliable financing plan. Health care costs have increased quickly enough that proposed teacher pay increases can not match teacher payments for health care. The strike and negotiations The work stoppage took place in defiance of state law forbidding public employee strikes. On February 21, the day before the walkout, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey warned that a strike `` of any length on any ground is illegal '' and said his office would support local districts attempting to enforce the state ban on public employee strikes. Nonetheless, on the same day, Governor Justice signed into law a bill offering teachers a 2 % pay increase. `` We need to keep our kids and teachers in the classroom, '' Gov. Justice said in signing the law. `` We certainly recognize our teachers are underpaid and this is a step in the right direction to addressing their pay issue. '' Teachers said that the 2 % pay raise, and subsequent raises of 1 % slated for 2020 and 2021, would not keep up with inflation. Teachers rejected the pay raise, walking out across the state on February 22. The same day, a crowd estimated at 5,000 demonstrated at the West Virginia State Capitol. The strike continued on February 23, as all schools in the state were closed once again. Teachers and other workers rallied in front of the West Virginia State Capitol as well as picketed in front of individual schools. West Virginia teachers have a stronger negotiating position in the strike because many teaching positions remain unfilled. A deal reached by union leaders and Governor Jim Justice was announced on February 27, and union leaders called on teachers and other education - related personnel to return to classrooms on Thursday March 1, after a `` cooling off '' period. However, during the late evening on February 28, every county announced school closures due to continuing work stoppages, and by this point the stoppage had become a wildcat strike. On March 3, the West Virginia Senate rejected a bill passed by the West Virginia House of Delegates approving the agreed upon 5 % pay rise, instead proposing a 4 % pay rise, extending the strike into an eighth work day. A similar strike was proposed by teachers in Oklahoma, where teacher compensation is worse than in West Virginia, at 49th in the United States. On Sunday March 4, 1,400 West Virginia Frontier Communications workers went on strike in response to company restructuring, also citing rising health care costs, and the example of the Teacher 's Strike. West Virginia school personnel returned to classrooms on Wednesday March 7 after the State Senate agreed to the House 's position following conference committee negotiations. The strike, while achieving a 5 % pay raise, did not provide guarantees to control rising health care costs. Reactions to the strike Justice and other Republican lawmakers opposed the strike and asserted that the teachers ' absence from the classroom were hurting school children. He also said there was not enough money to fund teachers ' demands. `` I 'm telling you when we should do more is when we know we can do more, '' Justice said on February 23. `` Today we think we can do more, but we do n't know. Our teachers need to be in the classroom. The Legislature has spoken and I 've signed it into law. '' Justice, a billionaire coal magnate, won election in 2016 as a Democrat with the endorsements of the AFT - WV and the WVEA, along with other unions in the state. He subsequently switched to the Republican Party. Union officials sought backing from prominent state Democratic Party leaders, inviting them to speak at teachers ' demonstrations during the strike. However, prior to the strike, Democrats had control the governor 's mansion for 32 of the previous 40 years. They controlled the governor 's mansion and the legislature between 2001 - 2014. The strike was noteworthy because it emerged from rank - and - file teachers, who began to demand statewide strike action. Pressure to strike was `` coming from everywhere, '' Christine Campbell, AFT - WV president, said in early February. These demands coalesced into a series of rallies and demonstrations held throughout the state. Ultimately the strike became a wildcat when teachers refused back - to - work orders from the unions. The World Socialist Web Site, daily publication of the Socialist Equality Party, which published many interviews with teachers, argued that the AFT - WV and WVEA would settle the strike on unfavorable terms to school employees. It called on teachers to form rank - and - file committees independent of the trade unions and to broaden the strike to include teachers in other states and other groups of workers in West Virginia. The Industrial Workers of the World issued a press release, demanding that the strike continue unless a series of demands were met, including a tax on natural gas production to fund state education. See also Education in West Virginia 2012 Chicago Teachers Strike Hayward teachers strike 2018 Teachers ' Strikes in the United States References ^ Jump up to : Hauser, Christine ( February 23, 2018 ). `` West Virginia Teachers, Protesting Low Pay, Walk Out ''. New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Here 's Why West Virginia Teachers Are On Strike ''. Time. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Inspired by West Virginia Strike, Teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky Plan Walk Out ''. KTLA. April 2, 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018. ^ Jump up to : Simpson, Ian ( 6 March 2018 ). `` UPDATE 2 - West Virginia lawmakers weigh pay deal to end teachers strike ''. Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ NEA Research ( May 2017 ). `` Rankings of the States 2016 and Estimates of School Statistics 2017 '' ( PDF ). www.nea.org. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018. Jump up ^ Wamsley, Laurel ( February 22, 2018 ). `` West Virginia 's Teachers Walk Off The Job, Protesting Low Pay And Benefit Cuts : The Two - Way : NPR ''. NPR. Retrieved 23 February 2018. ^ Jump up to : Krieg, Gregory. `` Is the West Virginia teachers ' strike the future of American labor ? '' ( 6 March 2018 ). CNN. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ Schoen, John ( 6 March 2018 ). `` West Virginia teachers strike sheds light on stagnant wages for educators across the US ''. CNBC. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( February 22, 2018 ). `` W.Va. House votes to use budget surpluses to help fund PEIA ''. WSAZ. Retrieved 23 February 2018. Jump up ^ Morrissey, Patrick ( May 23, 2018 ). `` Patrick Morrissey Facebook ''. Facebook. Jump up ^ `` Gov. Justice Signs Pay Raise Bill ''. governor.wv.gov. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 23. Jump up ^ White, Jerry. `` West Virginia teachers carry out state - wide strike ''. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 23. Jump up ^ Jorgensen, Sarah ( February 23, 2018 ). `` West Virginia teacher walk - out closes all public schools ''. CNN. Retrieved 23 February 2018. Jump up ^ Osborne, Mark ( February 28, 2018 ). `` West Virginia teachers will return to school post-strike after `` cooling off '' period ``. ABC News. Retrieved 28 February 2018. Jump up ^ Quinn, Ryan ( February 28, 2018 ). `` WV school employee strike to continue across state ''. Charleston Gazette - Mail. Retrieved 28 February 2018. Jump up ^ Jorgensen, Sarah ; Ellis, Ralph ; Sanchez, Ray ( March 4, 2018 ). `` West Virginia legislature ca n't break impasse over raises for striking teachers ''. CNN. Retrieved 4 March 2018. Jump up ^ Anapol, Avery ( March 3, 2018 ). `` Oklahoma teachers planning statewide strike ''. The Hill. Retrieved 4 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` West Virginia telecommunications workers continue strike, support teachers ''. World Socialist Web Site. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` Local Teachers Continue Picket ''. WVOW Local News. 2018 - 02 - 26. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ reports, Staff. `` School service workers union endorses Justice ''. Charleston Gazette - Mail. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ `` List of Governors of West Virginia ''. Wikipedia. 2018 - 01 - 21. Jump up ^ `` West Virginia State Legislature - Ballotpedia ''. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ Hanover, Nancy. `` West Virginia teachers authorize statewide strike ''. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 24. ^ Jump up to : Kalmbacher, Colin ( March 1, 2018 ). `` Teachers Defy Union and Governor, Continue Statewide Strike Even After Deal Reached ''. Law and Crime. Retrieved 23 March 2018. Jump up ^ Morrow, Will. `` Defiant West Virginia teachers denounce union efforts to sell out strike ''. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 28. Jump up ^ Kishore, Joseph. `` West Virginia strike continues as teachers reject unions ' back - to - work order ''. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 28. Jump up ^ White, Jerry. `` Reject the sellout of West Virginia teachers ' strike ! ''. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 28. 2018 teachers ' strikes in the United States Strikes Arizona Colorado North Carolina Oklahoma West Virginia Related DeKalb County Georgia bus drivers ' strike United Kingdom higher education strikes Howard University sit - ins VCUarts adjunct workers ' protests York University strike Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_West_Virginia_teachers%27_strike&oldid=843328735 '' Categories : 2018 in West Virginia 2018 labor disputes and strikes Education in West Virginia Education strikes February 2018 events in the United States Labor disputes in West Virginia March 2018 events in the United States Ongoing protests Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 28 May 2018, at 12 : 16. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the west virginia teacher strike start
Answer: February 22, 2018