image by Nicolas Lampert | justseeds.org
This winter thousands of teachers across the state took up the tradition of our Mine Wars predecessors, by standing up for their rights to fair pay and a decent living.
Some striking teachers even donned red bandanas, recalling the uniform of miners from the Mine Wars era.
We were proud to see this sign of our heritage on display and even prouder to see our fellow working women and men showing us what powerful unions look like today in West Virginia.
“Once again, unionized workers — our teachers — are on the front lines. They are struggling not only for their own dignity and fair wages, but also — because of their union solidarity — they are able to mount a challenge to the Legislature and governor that can help their non-unionized brothers and sisters employed by the state.
The teachers who have rallied at the Capitol over the past week, many of them sporting red bandanas just like the miners at Blair, recognize this proud history. Legislators who do not recognize this do so at their own peril.”
