Is There Any Such Thing as an Illegal Teacher Strike?

Mike Antonucci:

Teachers from seven school districts in Washington State are on strike, with Seattle on the brink. The news isn’t entirely grim, since Spokane did reach a tentative agreement.

Strikes by public employees are illegal in Washington, though it’s a particularly pointless law since violating it carries no penalties.

I’m opposed to virtually all anti-strike laws. Back when West Virginia teachers were striking illegally, I shared with you the one measure I use to judge when a strike should be illegal: If you have to call in the National Guard to replace them, then they should not be allowed to strike.