In the last two weeks, teachers in both Puerto Rico and Minnesota have taken to the streets. Though separated by thousands of miles, and a temperature difference of about 60 degrees, their demands are in many ways very similar: Like the teachers who went on strike in 2018, they are marching for better pay, better benefits, and greater funding for schools. However, these struggles are taking place in a period very different from 2018. The pre-pandemic strike wave was driven by decades of austerity and rising rank-and-file militancy born of frustration with do-nothing labor bureaucrats. The pandemic has since galvanized workers even more, especially since rapidly rising inflation has significantly chipped away at already historically low wages. As contracts expire, it is quite likely we will see more militant labor actions in cities across the country. More workers, particularly public union workers facing state budget crunches, are likely to take up the fight to protect themselves and their communities, and to regain what they have lost to inflation and decades of underfunding of public services.
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