New York City, Detroit Teachers To Strike If Schools Reopen Without Coronavirus Safety Measures

The union behind New York City public school teachers said its members will strike if a series of coronavirus safety measures are not implemented before reopening schools.

The United Federation of Teachers, which represents about 75,000 teachers, made the announcement in response to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio allowing schools to reopen on Sept. 10. De Blasio said that based on the city’s low positivity rate, he believes that schools can safely reopen in the fall.

In a news briefing, the United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said the union would take legal action against New York City if teachers are forced to return to school for in-person learning, The Washington Post reported. He also said that teachers in the city would go on strike, if requirements, such as coronavirus testing for all staff and students, are not met.

“We have promised the teachers and parents of New York City that we would stand and fight if we feel a school is unsafe,” Mulgrew said during the news briefing. “If you open schools on Sept. 10, it might be one of the biggest debacles in the history of New York City.”

He continued by saying, “We are prepared to go to court and take a job action. And if the court deems that we are breaking the Taylor Law, so be it. We will deal with the ramifications of it.”

The union is calling for inspection of every school building in the city to ensure there is proper ventilation, a school nurse on staff, desks are placed six feet apart, and personal protective equipment is provided.

In Detroit, teachers are also looking to strike if they have to return to the classroom in fall, saying that classroom teaching is too much of a risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Detroit Federation of Teachers held a vote, with 91% in favor of striking against the school district on Wednesday. The vote will allow the union to call a strike if it is unable to come to an agreement with the district over safety measures in schools.

“This is the beginning of a fight to ensure that the health and safety protections for our members and our students are in place and enforced,” Detroit Federation of Teachers President Terrence Martin said in a statement after the vote.

Schools in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Florida have already reopened for in-person learning and are facing criticism for their decision to do so. In Georgia, a high school had to be closed for deep sanitation after both students and staff tested positive for the coronavirus and Mississippi and Tennessee schools have quarantined thousands after being exposed to the virus while in school, the Post said.

The U.S. has reported over 5.5 million positive cases of the coronavirus, with over 173,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.