Hello Trill Billies. This is a special bonus episode. As I'm sure you've seen on the news or at least on Twitter, last Thursday, February 22nd, teachers from all 55 counties in West Virginia made the decision to strike by walking off of their jobs.

The strike was the first such strike in almost 30 years

and it was called in response to issues like low pay

and a lack of a solution to the dubiously funded

public employees insurance agency, the PEIA.

It was announced on Tuesday that a deal had been made with the teachers unions by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, whereby teachers would get a 5% pay increase. But the union rank and file bravely refused the deal, arguing that their issues with the PEIA still had not been addressed and so last night

they made the decision to again call off schools in all 55 counties around the state and resume the strike.

Throughout this, striking teachers rallied in the West Virginia capital of Charleston, where they gave speeches and displayed all

manners of wonderful signs and banners and messages of solidarity.

Special Trillbillies West Virginia messages of Solidarity.

Special Trill Billy's West Virginia correspondent and Folkloris Emily Hilliard was there,

along with Jacobin magazine contributor Kathy Kunkel and they got some wonderful interviews

with teachers at these rallies. So we'd like to present them to you here as a

little slice of what direct action and organized labor looks like in the

mountain states.

Did you tell me your name, your county, your your school and why you're here today?

My name is Rachel Coppley. I am a teacher at Crosslands Elementary School. I teach

preschool special needs and I am mom of children in Putnam County schools

and I am just here today for the most part because of the future of

education in West Virginia it's time for us to take a stand

because vacancies aren't being filled. They're lowering standards which is not good for our

children. I personally know of people whose children have taken courses in high school

...