California Educators Win After 12-Day Strike
Teachers, counselors, nurses, and other certified staff in the Twin Rivers Unified School District, in California’s Sacramento County, walked the picket line for nearly two weeks in March. Their demands? Fair pay! The power of collective action paid off, leading to a tentative agreement with these key wins:
- 7 percent raises over two years.
- A $4,000 bonus for educators.
- An increased hourly rate of $60 for speech language pathologists.
- 100 percent employer-paid healthcare.
The California Teachers Association spearheaded the campaign, with support from NEA, and joined the broader We Can’t Wait coalition—made up of 80,000 educators, in 32 California school districts, serving 1 million students.
NEA Defends Birthright Citizenship
Birthright citizenship, guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, grants U.S. citizenship to anyone born in the country, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. It ensures students can fully access public education and opportunities like in-state
college tuition. As a case challenging the law—Trump v. Barbara—reached the U.S. Supreme Court this spring, NEA partnered with major labor unions to file friend-of-the-court briefs supporting citizenship protections. In June, the Court upheld birthright citizenship, denying Trump’s attempt to redefine who is American.
Wisconsin Educators Speak Out for LGBTQ+ Students
The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) helped defeat a series of bills targeting transgender youth. WEAC President Peggy Wirtz-Olson testified at the state Senate, providing powerful evidence of how that bill would harm students.
The proposed laws would have restricted gender-affirming care, sports participation for transgender students, and the use of students’ chosen names and pronouns.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed every single bill!
NEA Members Mobilize for May Day 2026
Across the country, NEA members joined thousands of workers, families, and community allies for May Day Strong—a national day of action, on May 1, to demand dignity, justice, and investment in fully funded schools, healthcare, and housing.
From rallies to teach-ins, educators stood up to economic inequality and called for pushing back against a system that favors billionaires over working people and communities.
