Pedro Colón-Almenas Labor Net Date 08/02/06/16:30
AN URGENT CALL TO SUPPORT THE TEACHERS' FEDERATION OF PUERTO RICO AS FEBRUARY NATIONAL STRIKE LOOMS FEBRUARY 7 N.Y.C. PLANNING MEETING February 2, 2008
Puerto Rico's teachers and workers are fighting for their rights to free quality public education, to union independence, to freely strike, to democratic representation and against privatization. The government of Puerto Rico, in collaboration with the U.S. unions, e.g. the American Federation of Teachers, SIEU, Change To Win and others, is attempting to destroy the rising militant and effective organizing efforts of the FMPR to improve educational and teaching conditions on the island and to undermine opposition to President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" privatization program on the island.
In January '08, the Puerto Rican government acted to decertify the Teachers Federation of Puerto Rico (FMPR), which represents 42,000 teachers. The FMPR called for a strike vote of its Delegates' Assembly in September 2007 that was overwhelmingly ratified by the membership. The colonial government is using the anti-strike and other anti-labor clauses of Law 45 in its attempts to destroy the democratically elected representative of the teachers. Law 45 is similar to the New York State Taylor law. The unconstitutional nature of Law 45 is currently being challenged in the courts by the FMPR.
The FMPR has successfully fought government attempts to squash the voice of teachers and community in decision-making in Puerto Rico's school system. The FMPR effectively seceded in 2006 from American Federation of Teachers which abysmally failed to crusade for better conditions while collecting millions in dues money from Puerto Rican teachers.
The FMPR has a proven track record of defending teachers, students, parents, and community control of the educational process. It has successfully opposed the U.S. federal government's efforts to undermine the rights of Puerto Rican teachers to exercise their judgment in the classroom and in making decisions about instruction according to their needs and within their own context. The FMPR has steadfastly opposed all attempts at privatization fomented by the federal NCLB, inclusive of Charter Schools.
You are invited to come to a planning meeting where we will begin to build support for the FMPR and the upcoming February teachers' strike.
Thursday, February 7, 2008 Center for Puerto Rican Studies Hunter College @ 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, Manhattan #6 Lexington Avenue Local to 68 Street Stop East Building - 14th Floor (Solarium Conference Room) 6:30 P.M.
New York City Initiative For An FMPR Support Committee Angel Gonzalez, Norma Hiram Rodriguez, Pedro Colon Almenas, Frank Velgara, Normita Aponte Rivera, Vicente Montero, Judy Sheridan Gonzalez, Benjamin Ramos Rosado, Rafael Torruella, Artemio Camacho, Carlos Rivera Jones, Reinaldo Rodríguez
Battle Between Big Labor Unions Hits Puerto Rico
El Diario-La Prensa, Posted: Jan 04, 2008
SAN JUAN -- The competition between the two most powerful labor federations in the United States has moved to Puerto Rico, where "Change to Win", whose leadership includes New York-based Puerto Rican union leader Dennis Rivera, is trying to compete with the teacher's union, the island's largest. By the middle of January, Change to Win expects to hold a meeting on the island in which the union will lay out instructions on how it will try to displace the Teacher's Federation of Puerto Rico from its position as exclusive representative of the tens of thousands of teachers working in the public school system.
This labor drama is much more than just a challenge to represent workers, but may well be the battle that marks a major step backward for the AFL-CIO in this Caribbean nation. The battle takes place in anticipation of a major teacher's strike that threatens to paralyze the public school system and in which Change to Win (United for Change) is positioned as a strategic ally of the island's autonomous government, which wants to push the Teacher's Federation out.
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