Statewide walkout announced for school teachers, employees on Thursday and Friday

School teachers and service personnel from all 55 counties will participate in West Virginia’s first statewide walkout Thursday and Friday, union leaders announced Saturday.

The announcement came at the end of a rally featuring thousands of teachers and others at the state Capitol, and follows weeks of growing tension between public employees, educators and the state Legislature regarding concerns with pay and health care.

“The entire state of West Virginia will be shut down,” said Dale Lee, president of West Virginia Education Association. “We are standing united — all 55. Will you stand with us?”

The work action is a last message to legislators at the Capitol “to do your jobs, or we’ll vote you out,” said Christine Campbell, president of the West Virginia American Federation of Teachers.

Read more: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/statewide-walkout-announced-for-school-teachers-employees-on-thursday-and/article_ad7043a7-074d-5adf-b6ac-4ac69aca1260.html