The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation's largest teachers unions, is encouraging members to strike this fall if school districts re-open without adequate protection plans against the coronavirus. The union has 1.7 million members, and has promised legal, communications, and staffing support to local chapters. The union wants schools to only reopen in areas with lower virus rates, and to require masks, updated ventilation systems and social distancing. Other teacher unions such as the Chicago Teachers Union, as well as the nation's largest, the National Education Association, agree that strikes are a possibility and that all measures should be taken to protect students. In Massachusetts, nurses in the Boston Teachers Union are planning a sit-in in order to demand Covid-19 rapid testing in schools, as well as more protective equipment for staff and air quality assessments in all buildings.
See "Teacher unions across the nation call for strikes if protective measures aren't met for school re-openings", Collin Binkley, Associated Press, July 29, 2020