This morning, teachers and staff at Brooklyn Friends School, a private Quaker school in New York City, are going on strike indefinitely. Their goal: to force the school to recognize their union and bargain in good faith.

Workers at the school voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2110 in spring 2019. But after contract negotiations began, the school’s leadership filed a petition to decertify their union, citing a recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that determined the board cannot exercise jurisdiction over religious institutions. While the school boasts about its commitment to social justice, its relationship with its own employees tells a different story.

Jacobin contributor Mindy Isser interviewed third grade teacher Sarah Gordon, a fifteen-year veteran at Brooklyn Friends School and a member of the union’s negotiation committee. Their conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.