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Large teacher's union authorizes members to strike if schools open without certain safety measures

Large teacher's union authorizes members to strike if schools open without safety measure
Sitthixay Ditthavong/AP
FILE - This Sept. 10, 2012, file photo shows thousands of public school teachers rallying outside the Chicago Public Schools district headquarters on the first day of strike action over teachers' contracts in Chicago. A majority of union members today now have ties to a government entity at the federal, state or local levels. The typical union worker now is more likely to be an educator, office worker or food or service industry employee rather than a construction worker, autoworker, electrician or mechanic, with far more women than men among the ranks. Overall, 11.3 percent of U.S. wage and salary workers are unionized, down from a peak of 35 percent during the mid-1950s. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong, File)
Large teacher's union authorizes members to strike if schools open without safety measure
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One of the nation’s largest teachers’ union is authorizing its members to strike if their schools plan to reopen without proper safety measures in the middle of the global pandemic.

The American Federation of Teachers, which represents 1.7 million school employees, issued a resolution on Tuesday saying it will support any local chapter that decides to strike over reopening plans. The group says school buildings should open only in areas where coronavirus infections are low enough and if schools enact certain safety measures.

The union’s president blasted President Donald Trump for ordering schools to reopen even as the virus continues to surge. Randi Weingarten called Trump’s response “chaotic and catastrophic,” saying it has left teachers angry and afraid.

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