Will New York Teachers Strike for Safe Schools?
In response to Mayor Bill de Blasio pushing a public schools reopening despite the serious dangers it would pose, New York City’s United Federation of Teachers is considering their first strike in almost half a century. We talked to union activist and Brooklyn teacher Jia Lee about why a school reopening isn’t safe and what teachers are willing to do to stop it.
Striking teachers and supporters in Los Angeles, 2019. (David McNew / Getty Images)
The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), which represents over a hundred thousand educators in New York City and is the largest teachers union local in the United States, is threatening to strike to stop unsafe school reopenings.
Jacobin’s Eric Blanc spoke with Jia Lee, a special education teacher at the Earth School, a United Federation of Teachers (UFT) chapter leader, and an organizer with the Movement of Rank-and-File Educators (MORE), the UFT’s rank-and-file caucus. The interview has been edited for clarity.
Eric Blanc
Mayor Bill de Blasio is saying that COVID-19 transmission rates in NYC are low enough to allow for schools to reopen safely. Is he right?
Jia Lee
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