Associate Professor of Law Eric Fink was featured in an article about the possibility of strikes by North Carolina public school teachers.
The Asheville Citizen Times included thoughts from Associate Professor of Law Eric Fink in an article about the legality of possible strikes by North Carolina public school teachers.
The article, “With demands unmet, NC teachers gauge interest in statewide strike,” details a recent survey by the North Carolina Association of Educators’ Organize 2020 Racial and Social Justice Caucus. The caucus sent the survey to teachers across the state to find out how long they would be willing to strike in order to make their demands for higher pay, Medicaid expansion and retiree benefits clear to state lawmakers.
The piece outlines the North Carolina law that reads, “Strikes by public employees are hereby declared illegal and against the public policy of this State,” and the penalties teachers could face in the event of a strike.
Fink and other experts discussed the difficulty of enforcing such a law as states with similar laws – Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona and Oklahoma – have experienced strikes by public school teachers recently.
“People like teachers,” Fink told the Citizen Times. “And I suspect the teachers understand this. I imagine it’s part of their calculus.”
To read the entire Citizen Times article, click here.