Oklahoma teachers jingle keys, chant ‘Where’s my car?’ at governor

Striking Oklahoma teachers jangled their keys and chanted “Where’s my car?” at their governor on Wednesday after she compared their demands to a “teenager wanting a better car.”

Public schools in Oklahoma are closed this week as teachers strike for better pay and resources.

{mosads}On Tuesday, Gov. Mary Fallin (R) said the teachers striking for improved pay and benefits are asking for too much, like “a teenager wanting a better car.”

Protesters followed Fallin up the stairs, chanting “Where’s my car?” on Wednesday.

Oh my gawd. We followed @govmaryfallin up the stairs so we shared it with the crowd and they took out their keys I’m crying. pic.twitter.com/7bFy7Lyw8R

— Dawn Brockman (@dawnbrockman) April 4, 2018

More than 36,000 teachers and supporters seized every floor of the Capitol this week as the strike moved into it’s fourth consecutive day on Thursday.

A group of teachers are walking 110 miles from Tulsa to Oklahoma City to join the march.

After state Rep. Kevin McDugle (R) vowed to strike down any education funding measure because he didn’t like how the teachers were acting, veteran educator Cyndi Ralston announced she was running against him.  

The teachers are pushing for a $10,000 pay increase over three years. They also want a $5,000 increase for support staff.

Oklahoma teachers receive an average salary of $42,460 a year, less than teachers in nearly every other state, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fallin signed a bill last week for a $6,100 pay increase for teachers, described as the “largest teacher pay raise in the history of the state.”

While historic, the Oklahoma Education Association, a teachers union, said it was “incomplete” and began the strike on Monday.