One of the most distinctive elements of the successful nine-day teachers’ strike in Los Angeles in January was the powerful level of community support the teachers had. That was the result of a deliberate effort by United Teachers Los Angeles, the 32,000-member American Federation of Teachers affiliate, to build mutually respectful alliances with parents and community groups around a common agenda.

The Dream Project, a partnership between Sacramento City College and area public schools, is but one example of the sort of educator-led projects that have sprung up across the country to protect and support undocumented children attending public schools.

Nearly 8,000 hospitality workers took to the picket lines at Marriott-owned hotels in nine major U.S. cities this fall — the latest coordinated multi-city strike wave to hit the country amid skyrocketing inequality.

Some 560 school districts nationwide have moved to a four-day school week. The move to pack the same number of instructional hours into four days — principally done to save money — has divided school communities.

Federal workers are in the president’s crosshairs. Right before Labor Day 2018, and just days after a judge foiled Donald Trump’s attempt to hurt those workers and their unions through executive orders, Trump fired back with a plan to cancel their scheduled pay raise.

After a spring awakening of walkouts and strikes, educators around the country are running for office in unprecedented numbers to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives and the lives of their students.