By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Something strange is happening in Pennsylvania.

The new school year is several weeks old, and there still hasn’t been a single teachers strike.

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This is noteworthy because the Keystone State is the teacher strike capital of the country, accounting for nearly half of all teacher walkouts in the U.S. since 2000, reports the Bethlehem Patch.

Not only are educators not striking, but several teacher unions have quietly agreed to new contracts that require members to contribute to their health insurance costs for the first time ever, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

What’s going on?

It seems that Pennsylvania teachers have learned what the Chicago teachers are discovering: Strikes don’t play well with the public when the economy is in bad shape.

“The unions have recognized that the public is financially in a difficult position and now is not necessarily a good time to go on strike and look for sympathy from the voter/taxpayer,” David Davare, director of research for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, told the Post-Gazette. “The economy is bad. It’s tough everywhere right now.”

Davare adds that many school districts adopted Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2011 request for a wage freeze, which effectively extends existing contracts for another year.

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In other words, a lot of contract fights have been delayed for year, which explains the lack of teacher strikes.

That’s true enough, but there might be an additional – political – reason for the lack of teacher walkouts.

The Bethlehem Patch notes that Republican state Rep. Todd Rock has introduced anti-strike legislation, although it’s currently hung up in committee.

Pennsylvania already prohibits firefighters, police and prison guards from striking, due to the obvious hazards that would subject citizens to. A lot of citizens would argue that teachers should be added to that list for the same reasons.

The state’s teacher unions understand this is an election year, and any strike that makes the unions appear selfish and greedy could rile up taxpayers and make Rock’s legislation a popular campaign issue.

The unions have likely decided to be on their best behavior until after the November election, in the hopes that enough labor friendly lawmakers will get elected to the state legislature to make any anti-strike legislation dead on arrival. That would allow Pennsylvania’s unions to boldly resume their love affair with the teachers strike.

But for now, all is quiet on the union front in Pennsylvania. Families better enjoy it while they can, because it won’t last.