US teacher strikes were good, actually

Public school teacher strikes in the US have been a significant aspect of labor activism, with researchers recently compiling data to assess their impact. Over a 16-year period, the median number of strikes was 12.5 annually, with most lasting just one day. Strikes predominantly aimed at securing higher salaries and benefits, resulting in an average compensation increase of 3% one year post-strike, escalating to 8% five years later. Additionally, pupil-teacher ratios improved by 3.2%, and spending on non-instructional staff rose by 7% within three years after a strike. The funding for these increases did not come from reallocating existing budgets but rather from an overall rise in education spending, primarily at the state level. This suggests that teacher strikes can effectively mobilize public attention and support, leading to tangible improvements in compensation and working conditions. Unlike longer strikes in other countries that negatively impacted student achievement, US strikes did not show evidence of harming students' reading or math scores in the year of the strike or in subsequent years. The decline in teacher union membership from 85% in 1990 to 68% in 2020 contrasts with a growing public perception of unions as beneficial, rising from 32% to 43% between 2013 and 2019. This indicates a complex relationship between union strength and public opinion, as well as the evolving landscape of labor rights in education. Overall, the findings highlight the effectiveness of teacher strikes in achieving desired outcomes without detrimental effects on student learning, emphasizing the importance of labor activism in the education sector.