In the state of West Virginia, it is illegal for public employees to go on strike. Nevertheless, for more than a week, teachers across the state abandoned their classrooms at the behest of their unions. As a result, the parents of nearly 300,000 students were forced to squander sick days, use hard-earned vacation time, dip into their pockets to pay for child care, or miss work.

Many West Virginians probably agree that teachers in the Mountain State have pressing concerns. They are among the lowest paid in the nation, earning on average $45,622 (a little more than the state’s median household income of $42,644). They are also concerned, as are many Americans, that their health insurance premiums keep going up.