Power and Political Verve of Teachers Unions: A Fitful Five Years for America's Teachers,2018–2023

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of major public school teacher union issues that made headlines in the demi-decade from 2018 to 2023, weaving several threads to present a current look at America's educators, the unions that represent them, and the institutional structures that influence our nation's schools. Consideration is given to the U.S. Supreme Court Janus ruling that outlawed agency fees and its impact on teacher unions, the Red for Ed groundswell of union protests that swept the nation in 2018–2019, educator activism reflected in the increased cadence of teacher strikes post-COVID, levers of power being flexed by state politicians, and membership trends of the National Education Association, the nation's largest labor union. Using Malin's (2012) analogy of “tsunami” to describe the rollbacks of ten states’ public sector collective bargaining rights from 2010 to 2012, another round of seismic sea waves characterized the 2018–2023 period, their energy and awe on full display.