CHARLESTON, West Virginia — A strike by thousands of public school teachers intensified on Tuesday as thousands again descended on the state Capitol to protest low wages.
A large crowd outside the state Senate chamber loudly chanted slogans — including “United we stand!” and “Where is justice?” — and waved homemade posters as a walk-out that began last Thursday escalated.
“We are fed up. Enough is enough,” said Jamie Heflin, 38, a single mother who teachers at Lenore K-8 School. “We’re tired of the disrespect.”
The four-day strike has left more than a quarter of a million students out of class in the 55 counties across the state, rattling some officials.
“Work stoppages by public employees are not lawful in West Virginia and will have a negative impact on student instruction and classroom time,” West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Steven Paine said in a statement last week.
“I encourage our educators to advocate for the benefits they deserve, but to seek courses of action that have the least possible disruption for our students.”
In 2016, the average salary for West Virginia teachers ranked 48th in the nation, according to data compiled by the National Education Association. The organizers of the protests have said many teachers are forced to take second jobs just to make ends meet.
“We can’t be doing our jobs for less and less and less money,” said Carmen Soltesz, 37, a middle school social studies teacher in Williamson who has been on the job for a decade.
The strike began a day after West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed legislation giving teachers and some other state employees a 4 percent raise over three years. They would receive a 2 percent raise starting in July, followed by a 1 percent increase in fiscal years 2020 and 2021, according to a news release.
That legislation has been sharply criticized by teachers’ unions and their members, who say the pay increases are too stingy. The raises, they say, would not cover cost-of-living spikes and the rising cost of health care.
“The proposed raise … doesn’t even keep us up with other states,” said Dale Lee, the president of the West Virginia Education Association.”
A spokesman for Gov. Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
Amid the strike, food banks have helped provide lunches to students who rely on school meals, according to local reports. And despite any inconveniences, Lee insisted the teachers had “community support.”
“You see families dropping off water, food, pizzas,” Lee said. “It’s like that all over the state.”
Ron Allen reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Daniel Arkin reported from New York.