[4] Teachers in other states, including North Carolina and Kentucky have also coordinated protests and walkouts on a smaller scale.

The strike was called in response to the low pay of West Virginia teachers, whose compensation ranks 48th in the United States.

[8] The work stoppage took place in defiance of both state law forbidding public employee strikes and union leadership.

[12] Nonetheless, on the same day, Governor Justice signed into law a bill offering teachers a 2% pay increase.

[20] West Virginia school personnel returned to classrooms on Wednesday March 7 after the State Senate agreed to the House's position following conference committee negotiations.

The strike, while achieving a 5% pay raise, did not provide guarantees to control rising health care costs.

[8] Justice and other Republican lawmakers opposed the strike and asserted that the teachers' absence from the classroom were hurting school children.

The Legislature has spoken and I’ve signed it into law.”[21] Justice, a billionaire coal magnate, won election in 2016 as a Democrat with the endorsements of the AFT-WV and the WVEA, along with other unions in the state.

[22] Union officials sought backing from prominent state Democratic Party leaders, inviting them to speak at teachers' demonstrations during the strike.