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In February West Virginia teachers started what would become a series of teachers strikes from coast to coast. In April 2018 both Arizona and Oklahoma teachers followed suit. Just a month ago L.A. teachers captured the narrative with their own strike. Now in February, Denver teachers have followed suit, West Virginia teachers are back protesting again, and teachers in Oakland are considering a strike of their own.

In every single instance, Bernie Sanders lent his public support to the striking teachers. Compare that to presidential candidate Cory Booker who spoke at a Charter School the very same day L.A. teachers took to the streets, or Democratic sweetheart mayor of L.A. Eric Garcetti who clearly viewed the teachers strikes as an inconvenience, not a movement to help along. How a politician reacts to the teacher’s strike should be viewed as a litmus test, because a candidate who doesn’t support labor will not support the interests of average Americans when push comes to shove, and that applies to every issue.

When teachers in West Virginia were on strike Bernie Sanders took to twitter and the media to draw a parallel between the striking teachers and West Virginia’s long history of radical miner labor activism. When Arizona teachers took to the streets Bernie Sanders tweeted his support, showing his millions of followers iconic images as teachers clad in red flooded the street to fight back against privatization and underfunding. And he has taken similar stances in support of the L.A. teachers strike, now the Denver teachers strike, and it’s safe to say any future labor backlash would receive similar support, even if Bernie became president.

Bernie Sanders Will Support Labor, Openly and Behind Closed Doors

This sort of advocacy from the White House is huge. It can’t be understated, especially in a time where the interests of capital are increasingly encroaching on the rest of us. A president that supports social movements and embraces their policy positions is rare and vital, because many of our biggest challenges will only be solved by mass movements aimed at fundamentally transforming various structures of society. Be it the fossil fuel industry, the healthcare industry, or responding to technological changes and automation, a mass movement will be fundamental in driving much needed change. And a supportive president can help grow that movement like nobody else.

Schools are emblematic of every other issue in American political life that pits privatization and capital against public goods and the people who benefit from them (everyone but the rich). If a politician can’t stand with teachers fighting for smaller class sizes, more supplies, and better pay, then who will they stand for? If a politician will take charter school money and then consistently back privatization efforts (looking at you Cory Booker) are you going to believe them when they say they’ll take on the insurance industry and fight for Medicare-for-All? If the answer to that last question is yes, you should reevaluate how much trust you put in your politicians.

So far, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris all emphatically backed striking teachers in L.A. and now Denver. That’s good, even candidates who may seem wishy-washy or hard to trust deserve a chance to earn that trust. If Kamala’s handling of Medicare-For-All left some to be desired after her backtracking the day after challenging the private insurance industry, her stance when it comes to striking teachers is right on. Emphatic and public support is the only acceptable position, nothing less.

Candidates like Cory Booker, who was literally speaking at a charter school while L.A. teachers were on the picket line, should at the very least be viewed skeptically. It’s emblematic of a bigger problem, putting financial interests ahead of people’s needs. While where one gives a speech and who one tweets support for are small metrics, they’re indicative of what someone will do when they are forced to challenge the status quo.

Tweeting support for teachers won’t make up for some of Kamala’s shortcomings, but it’s such an easy test that every single candidate should pass. That she hit the easy pitch, is great, that Cory Booker missed it, is exactly the problem with Democratic politicians. They talk about politics as if they stand for working people, but put big money interests first whenever it suits them.