Teachers Stage Walkouts to Push for Higher Pay
Hundreds of North Carolina teachers staged coordinated walkouts on Wednesday to demand higher pay for advanced degrees, caps on healthcare premiums, the unfreezing of pay increases for experienced teachers, and the restoration of retirement health benefits.
Organized by NC Teachers in Action, the walkout involved educators from more than 50 schools across Wake, New Hanover, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and Gaston school systems. Demonstrators gathered at intersections and landmarks, holding signs expressing their demands.
School disruptions were minimal, with most classrooms covered by substitutes, but the group plans monthly protests on the seventh day of each month through April to pressure lawmakers amid a stalled state budget.
The walkout prompted an opinion piece in the Carolina Journal, which argued that the walkouts—also described as “callouts”—constitute illegal strikes under state law rather than protected protests, on the grounds that they disrupt public education and violate public policy. |
