On September 18, 2014, teachers in British Columbia returned to class after the longest teacher strike in Canadian history. Upset with over a decade of declining funding and large and complex classrooms, educators had refused to accept a contract offer that simply maintained the status quo. Instead, in one of the highest strike mandates in the history of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), they chose to walk out.

This was not something new for BC teachers. They walked off the job for two weeks in 2005, and for three days in 2012. Educators in BC have also refused to administer standardized tests, engaged in various work-to-rule actions for several months, and conducted a wide variety of local actions to push for improvements. It is not for nothing that the union has a reputation for militancy.

On one level, the longest teachers’ strike in Canadian history is a testament to the determination of teachers to win a better deal both for students and themselves. But to truly learn the lessons of a decade of fighting austerity, we need a realistic account of the most recent strike.