Maryland Democrats, unions want to repeal ban on teacher strikes

The Maryland General Assembly may repeal the state’s ban on teachers’ union strikes.

House Bill 1492, sponsored by over 20 Democrats, would give public school employees – specifically teachers and librarians – the right to strike without retaliation from school officials.

The measure is heavily supported by teachers’ unions, including the Maryland State Education Association, which argued “the right to strike without penalty is a bedrock principle in organized labor.”

The Baltimore Teachers Union (BTU) is even organizing a town hall and rally to support HB 1492 before its committee hearing.

“The right to strike gives workers more bargaining tools and increases their power at the negotiating table,” BTU explained on its website, arguing “strikes don’t close schools or cause long term learning loss” and “strikes are a tool to protect public service and fight for economic justice.”

Thirty-seven states, including Maryland, ban public-sector employees from striking. However, teachers’ unions frequently organize strikes in defiance of the law.

The National Education Association (NEA) touts the supposed benefits of teacher strikes, saying they lead to higher pay for teachers, smaller class sizes and more funding for support staff such as nurses or social workers.

However, it’s highly questionable whether teacher strikes have a positive effect on student learning.

According to the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, “there is little evidence of sizable impacts on student achievement up to five years post-strike, though strikes lasting 10 or more days decrease math achievement in the short-term.”

A 2024 analysis from the Fordham Institute found the vast majority of strikes are conducted over teacher pay and benefits, possibly to the detriment of academics.

In recent years, parents have started filing lawsuits against teachers’ unions for their lengthy strikes, requesting monetary damages for academic and emotional harms. One such lawsuit cited multiple studies proving when students miss school because of teacher strikes, their academic and economic outcomes suffer.

One study found each day of missed school was linked to a “0.015-point decline in GPA” for high school students. Another study found students in Argentina had 2-3% lower salaries as adults if they previously experienced “strike-related school closures.”

In Oregon, where striking over certain issues is legal, parents sued the Portland Association of Teachers for striking over secondary topics.

“Study after study demonstrates the harmful and long-lasting negative effects teacher strikes have on students,” the attorney for the plaintiffs said in a press release. “The PAT’s illegal strike especially hurt already vulnerable families from low-income households and children with learning disabilities.

“These families have a right to an uninterrupted education focused on student achievement and development, not union politics.”

In states where striking is illegal, unions can face tens of thousands of dollars in fines. Yet, striking is still a net positive for the unions’ pocketbook.

“The price of an illegal strike to a union is often negated by the financial gains these unions will see by taking a percentage of increased teacher wages,” Ashley Varner, vice president of Communication and Federal Affairs at the Freedom Foundation, previously told The Lion. “Strikes like this show exactly why unions got into this business to begin with.

“It isn’t to improve education or to help children. It’s money.”