Teachers Union Showed Its Power, Limitations During Walkout

NewsOK.com RSS - news >> politics >> !The Oklahoman, Daily Oklahoman: Politics
Thu, 04/19/2018 - 7:06pm

By Ben Felder Staff Writer bfelder@oklahoman.com Inside a cramped room on the fourth floor of the state Capital, Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest had just announced her organization was calling for an end to a teacher walkout as reporters peppered her with questions. It was April 12, nearly two weeks since teachers across the state launched the work stoppage, shutting down hundreds of schools to advocate for more education funding. Despite not getting all they'd asked for, Priest claimed a victory for teachers, but struggled to answer media questions about why the walkout had lasted as long as it did and why the organization was giving in now. Wearing a red button that said, "Together we're stronger," Priest shuffled the papers on the lectern in front of her and reiterated her claim that the walkout was a "win for teachers" before an aide stepped in to abruptly end the press conference. The moment embodied both the power and limitations a teachers union can have in attempting to corral a grassroots movement, especially one that seemed to be built on social media, where classroom teachers often had as big a microphone as a six-figure-salaried union boss. During the walkout, the Oklahoma Education Association said its membership had grown for the first time in years, yet it received a flood of criticism from teachers who felt the walkout had ended prematurely. "They had claimed that 70 percent of their members said that the walkout should end," said Kristen O'Dell, a middle school teacher from Tulsa.Read more on NewsOK.com

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