Ohio GM Strikers Say They Were Inspired by Teachers’ Strike at Local School
AFT President Randi Weingarten walks the GM picket line in Parma, Ohio.
PARMA, OHIO – “Hey guys, I’m Randi,” says American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten as she introduce herself to a GM worker as she walks the picket line at GM’s Parma facility.
Over the last year, Weingarten has been no stranger to picket lines; helping to lead a wave of teachers’ strikes across the United States t which surprised many with their mass public support.
A decade ago, the teachers’ unions in the U.S. were vilified by Republicans and even some Democrats for their union-won benefits and protections. Similarly, auto workers’ unions were vilified by both Democrats and Republicans alike during the auto bailout for their pensions and quality healthcare.
“Instead of people rising up and working together to change the power dynamics, there was this race to the bottom,” says Weingarten.”I used to call it pension envy. Instead of people saying, ‘Oh, we should all have a pension,’ [it was] ‘how come they have a pension instead of us.’”
However, now a decade later, something has changed as striking teachers and striking auto workers have received mass support throughout the United States.
“The narrative has changed–unions are cool again,” says Weingarten.
Weingarten says that workers taking action helped to change the conversation in the United States.
“When people start seeing the courage of one’s conviction and particularly when they see people that CONTINUE READING: Ohio GM Strikers Say They Were Inspired by Teachers' Strike at Local School – Payday Report
