Puerto Rico’s Labor Leaders Stage Sit-in at the Islands’ Office of Management and Budget

The Forum,

AFSCME News (Dec. 15, 2009)

Washington, D.C. – Top union officials affiliated with AFSCME, SEIU, UAW and UFCW are currently occupying the Office of Management and Budget offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, protesting Gov. Luis Fortuño’s proposed layoff of more than 20,000 workers.
Riot police have surrounded the OMB offices.

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee issued the following statement:

“AFSCME joins other unions in supporting our brothers and sisters in San Juan who are fighting during this serious economic crisis to protect Puerto Rico’s vital public services. We are very concerned that riot police have surrounded the building. We urge restraint on the part of law enforcement officials during this peaceful protest.”

AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in hundreds of different occupations – from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers – AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.
For further information:
Cheryl Kelly
202-429-1145
American Federation of State, County and Municipa Employees
www.afscme.org

One thought on “Puerto Rico’s Labor Leaders Stage Sit-in at the Islands’ Office of Management and Budget”

  1. I’m skeptical in light of the union-busting activities of the SEIU in Puerto Rico and the historical record. American unions in Puerto Rico collaborated with American businesses in Puerto Rico to keep wages down, etc. The Puerto Rican workers response was to create an independent union movement. FMPR is an example of that. And recent SEIU tactics in PR were a direct attempt to bust this teachers union and supplant them.

    American unions should get their act together here in the United States. Why aren’t they occupying plants in GM, FORD or taking over governmental offices here?

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