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February 22, 2018

West Virginia: 15,000 Teachers Strike over Low Pay, Healthcare Costs
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In West Virginia, schools are closed today, after some 15,000 public
school teachers launched a two-day strike in order to protest for better
healthcare and pay. Teachers haven't seen an across-the-board pay raise
since 2014, even as healthcare costs have risen sharply-leaving many
teachers with dwindling take-home pay. West Virginia is a so-called
right-to-work state where strikes by public employees are prohibited.
Asked by reporters about the legality of today's action, West Virginia
Education Association President Dale Lee said, "What are they going to
do, fire 15,000 people?"


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