An American teacher unionist says teacher strikes can help win political support to overcome teacher shortages.
Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, will speak at both primary and secondary teachers' union conferences this week about how his union helped win a 5 per cent pay rise after a nine-day strike in February and March.
Their success has sparked similar strikes in five other states as the United States grapples with a teacher shortage similar to New Zealand's, with near-record low unemployment luring many teachers into better-paid jobs elsewhere.
"West Virginia became a verb," Lee said in Rotorua, where he will speak at the NZ Educational Institute (NZEI) conference tomorrow .
"Those other states would say, 'Don't make us go West Virginia on them,' meaning don't make us stay out for nine days."