Teamsters' solidarity with striking Strongsville teachers

Thanks to Brother Fred Crow for this photo of the action.

Ohio Teamsters from Local 436 stood with striking teachers and 14 other unions in Strongsville on Friday. The teachers walked off the job on March 4 over pay, benefits and working conditions after contract talks broke down.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

The point was not only to show solidarity, but to emphasize the broader role of collective bargaining in assuring workers get treated fairly by their employer, close to the second anniversary of another large gathering of union workers on Strongsville Commons to protest the now-defeated Senate Bill 5... 

Several union representatives, including those from the transit workers, communication workers, Teamsters, United Auto Workers and several others, echoed that point. 

“An injury to one is an injury to all,” said Pat Gallagher, president of the North Shore AFL-CIO. “I want the Strongsville board of education to know that we are behind the Strongsville Education Association and we will work with them and fight with them until they get a fair and just agreement.”... 

(Strongsville Education Association President Tracy) Linscott said the rally was a morale booster for the SEA’s ranks after six weeks on the picket line, and the issue goes beyond the city’s border. 

“It shows everyone that it’s not just about Strongsville City Schools, it’s about labor and collective bargaining across the state,” Linsoctt said. “It also shows us that we have support from people right here in the community.”

Stand strong, brothers and sisters!