Interview by Sarah Lahm

On January 31, just before midnight, the tally came in. Over 80 percent of St. Paul Federation of Teachers (SPFT) members had voted to authorize a strike (two-thirds of the union’s approximately 3,700 members cast a ballot). If the mandatory, ten-day mediation period does not yield an agreement, teachers, educational assistants, and other school staff could hit the picket lines as early as February 17.

The lead-up to the potential strike coincides with the Super Bowl’s lavish arrival in the Twin Cities. Amid the glitzy, pre-game parties and high-profile NFL donations to food shelves lie deeper concerns about the gaping chasm between the very wealthy and those struggling to stay afloat in the Twin Cities.

SPFT is part of a coalition of labor and community groups using the big game to shine a light on racial and economic disparities in the area. SPFT has launched a separate website called “Real Legacy for Kids” that takes members of the local Super Bowl Host Committee to task, alleging that they are “hiding $16.5 billion in profits overseas” while public schools struggle to meet the needs of students.

The push for more equity has also framed the union’s negotiations with the St. Paul Public Schools. While union president Nick Faber says the district has repeatedly attempted to “pigeonhole” the union by limiting contract talks to wages and benefits, union members have shown themselves willing to strike for a broader suite of demands: more funding, more support staff, smaller class sizes, better restorative justice practices (which are intended to reduce racial disparities and punitive discipline measures).

Of course, that all costs money. And the district says it’s broke, having faced “three straight years of budget cuts totaling about $60 million.” The union doesn’t dispute the district’s precarious financial situation — state funding for public education has dropped by close to $1 billion since the early 2000s — and it agrees that the district needs more money to meet the union’s demands. But Faber has also pressed the district to join SPFT in resisting the “scarcity narrative” he says is being used to undercut public schools.

In an interview with Jacobin the day after the strike authorization vote, Faber talked about the union’s demands, its outlook going into the possible work stoppage, and its attempts to push local corporations and Super Bowl sponsors to pay more in taxes and support public services.