Tens of thousands of teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, and other education workers in Los Angeles have been on strike all week. Along with their community supporters, striking members of United Teachers of Los Angeles have set up picket lines and flooded the streets in mass marchers. 

The teachers are demanding a well-deserved raise, but the strike is about much more than that. The future of public education is at stake as school district superintendent Austin Beutner -- a hedge fund manager who has no experience in education! -- moves to gradually privatize the city's school system. By having the courage and determination to go on strike, school workers in Los Angeles are showing the way for all people who want to stand up to corporate vultures in defense of vital public services.