Public school teachers in all 55 counties in West Virginia have been on strike for more than a week now, one of the few state-wide teachers strikes in history. They are the third least paid teachers in the country, and they pay among the most in medical insurance. The state wanted to offer them a 1% annual raise over the next five years, and the teachers responded by shutting down every school in the state. Thousands flooded the state Capitol building on Friday to make their presence known by the state senate, as they convened to discuss whether to approve an amended bill that would secure a 5% pay raise. The teachers, however, are adamant about securing both lower insurance payments and higher wages. The Senate has yet to approve the bill, despite its endorsement by the governor, Republican-controlled house, and the state’s superintendent. For the striking teachers, this is truly an all-or-nothing battle.
See "‘All-In or Nothing’: How West Virginia’s Teacher Strike Was Months in the Making", CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and JESS BIDGOOD, New York Times, March 2, 2018