Nearly 500 educators and school employees in Columbus,
Ohio, have taken to the picket lines.
And this is the first time in 47 years that educators in
the area have decided to go on strike and their demands,
honestly, shouldn't even be considered controversial.
So, of course, they would like a wage increase considering the fact that
inflation has harmed their real wages.
Their pay is not stretching as far as it used to and
it wasn't really stretching far to begin with.
But they're also calling for the hiring of more teachers and support personnel.
They want smaller class sizes so they can actually instruct students well.
And they're asking for expanded art, music and PE programs.
And what I find super fascinating about their demands and
it gives you a sense of how defunded our public schools are,
they just want buildings that don't have a lead paint issue.
They want to update their HVAC systems to provide clean and
safe conditions for their buildings and for their students to learn in.
And, unfortunately, it appears that they're not getting any of their demands
met and so they have gone on strike.
So, Amber Nash, who's one of the teachers who's striking,
she's been teaching in Columbus, Ohio, for 19 years, says that mold and
lead paint in the buildings concern her the most.
She also says, quote, I think it is a basic right that the heating and
cooling align with OSHA standards in every building in every neighborhood.
The conditions in some of our buildings would not be accepted in the suburbs.
So why are they being accepted for some of the most struggling communities?
And I should note that Amber Nash's classroom or school,
I should say, has been rebuilt.
So she's not personally dealing with the conditions that she's describing, but
her colleagues are in the school district and she finds it disgusting and
she wants something done about it.
And also some of the teachers are placed in what's being referred to as mods,
which are basically trailer like buildings that hold classrooms.
And one teacher, Amber Nash, says of that we have no plumbing, no running water.
I worked eight years there and I never had less than 28 students every year in a mod.
The children in every building deserve an equitable learning space where they feel
valued, they can look around them and feel proud of their space,
feel comfortable to learn and be engaged.
And so, again, since these demands are not being met,
they have decided to go on strike.
But the school district, unfortunately, has decided to respond by hiring scabs.
>> So, again, we're oppressed by assumptions that got
in our heads usually through media.
Because even in this article praising the strike, there's quotes from
the teachers about how, hey, we're not harming the kids by being on strike.
The kids are gonna be okay.
And no, the school and the government and
the officials are harming the kids by forcing you to go on strike.
It's not the teachers' fault that they're paying you incredibly low wages and
asking you to work in rooms with ridiculous temperatures, with no AC.
I mean, look, I know rich folks.
There isn't a single rich person that would tolerate their kids being in 100
degree weather inside one of these containers with no air conditioning.
They send them to private schools, they're perfectly pampered and
then they cut the money for your kids.
They cut the money every time, that's who's at fault.
And they cut the money for the teachers and they say, okay, now you,
you go get the books and the markers that set up for your kids.
It's absolutely outrageous.
Almost all the teachers should be on strike.
By the way, any aid doesn't seem to be supporting them.
What the hell is wrong with these unions?
>> Totally, I agree.
We'll get to them in just a moment.
But I gotta make a super important correction.
In the beginning of the story, I said 500 teachers are on strike.
I misspoke, I meant 5000, okay?
I think the number is important here.
But Cenk, you're right about the NEA, I wanna go to that actually.
Because unfortunately, as I mentioned, rather than just negotiating with
these teachers and hearing them out, it seems like the NEA is not about it.
Currently, out of the 3.3 million teachers in the NEA,
the Columbus teachers are the only ones in the country to have gotten out on strike.
The NEA has not even posted a report of the strike on its website or
Facebook page.
So I don't understand what's going on with that and it's wrong.
>> Now, I'll be honest with you guys.
I know we break all the rules here too.
I think cuz the entrenched powerful interests don't want you to tell
the truth cuz if you tell the truth, then it looks bad for them.
I'm telling you right now, tons of union leadership has been completely co- opted.
So, I mean, your teachers are desperate in Ohio,
they have a perfectly legitimate cause.
We've got massive inflation, they're only gonna get a 3% raise.
It doesn't keep up with inflation.
They were forced to not get raises in earlier years.
It never got made up, it never gets made up.
They get the lowest salaries, the worst working conditions and
you're not supporting their strike?
What was the point of your union if you're not supporting this strike?
But it's not just teachers, tons and
tons of union leadership are constantly missing in action.
That's why so often now, when there's labor movement start,
they're started by young people or people who just can't take it anymore.
And they go outside of the unions, the major unions to do it
cuz the major unions try to help the people that are oppressing them.
It's absurd.
No, teachers, you gotta know your worth, you gotta know your value.
In Finland, they decided to pay teachers as well as any profession.
You didn't hear that wrong, and guess what happened?
Finland became number one in the world in education and in test results.
>> Yes, and look, the root of the problem is that we have a two tiered education
system where the rich want to hoard their wealth and they don't wanna pay for
public schools that educate people of all socio economic backgrounds.
They send their kids to private schools.
Doing away with private schools in Finland made all the difference.
And I wish that we were more willing to try that model,
but we're so far away from it.
And, Cenk, you're also right about union leadership and
that's what organizing workers at Amazon realized, which is why they decided to
form their own union rather than join an already established union.
That's what Chris Smalls had decided along with the workers over at Amazon,
you should check out the interview I did with Chris Smalls, it was excellent.
Not a big deal. But anyway,
you make a good point there [LAUGH] >> Yeah, and guys,
the most important thing is do not believe their assumptions.
Every time they'll tell you it's your fault, you shouldn't ask for
more, the bankers never think that.
I also know a lot of bankers and
their assumption is they're entitled to everything.
I know a guy that I played rugby with, that I went to school with,
that got a $50 million bonus and sued his bank cuz he said it was too low.
>> My God.
>> That's a real story.
That's in the Big Short.
You can read the book, you can watch the movie.
That section is not in the movie, it's in the book.
And that's a guy I know.
That is their assumptions but when it comes to teachers,
they say, no, back into the fire pits,
back into places that the banquettes would never ever tolerate.
Air conditioning goes out in the bank for the executives, forget about it.
There'll be hell to pay for even an hour.
Let alone a day, let alone a year, okay?
Let alone 3%.
And then they say you're asking for too much with a 3% increase this year.
No change your assumptions, fight back