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Where Teacher Walkouts Fit In The History Of Government Jobs

An Arizona teacher holds up a sign in front of the State Capitol during a #REDforED rally on April 26, 2018 in Phoenix, Ariz. Teachers statewide staged a walkout strike on Thursday in support of better wages and state funding for public schools. (Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
An Arizona teacher holds up a sign in front of the State Capitol during a #REDforED rally on April 26, 2018 in Phoenix, Ariz. Teachers statewide staged a walkout strike on Thursday in support of better wages and state funding for public schools. (Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

Tens of thousands of school teachers across Arizona and Colorado continue statewide walkouts Friday. For years, employees across the public sector — including teachers — have seen a decline in benefits and pay, raising questions about the impact on the larger middle class.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with historians Ed Ayers (@edward_l_ayers) and Nathan Connolly (@ndbconnolly) about “the government job” from early America to the New Deal to today.

Ayers and Connolly are co-hosts of the podcast “BackStory,” which is produced at Virginia Humanities.

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