The 1968 Florida Teachers’ Strike: Public Sector Unionism and the Fight against Sunshine State Conservatism

Dr. Jody Baxter Noll recounts the 1968 Florida Teachers’ Strike, in which 27,000 teachers across the state, amidst a shift in Florida politics toward a pro-business and suburban “Sunshine conservatism” reluctant to raise taxes for public education, submitted their resignations to gain collective bargaining rights and improved school funding. Noll is a Lecturer in the History Department at Georgia State University and author of The 1968 Florida Teachers’ Strike: Public Sector Unionism and the Fight against Sunshine State Conservatism.

Related Resources:

The 1968 Florida Teachers’ Strike: Public Sector Unionism and the Fight against Sunshine State Conservatism

Related Collections:

AFT Office of the President Records (LR001553)

AFT President’s Office: Albert Shanker Records (LR001553_Shanker)

AFT Southern Regional Office Records (LR001863)

Howard Hursey Papers (LP2047)

Episode Credits

Interviewee: Jody Baxter Noll

Producers: Dan Golodner and Troy Eller English

Music: Bart Bealmear