Puerto Rico School Teachers Go on Strike: Demand higher wages, smaller classes, better facilities
On Feb. 21, after more than 30 months of stalled contract negotiations between the Puerto Rico Teachers’ Union and the central government, many thousands of Puerto Rico’s 42,000 public school teachers went on strike, closing down schools across the small island territory and sparking violence in some cities.
Although Puerto Rican teachers make a starting salary of only $19,200, or approximately one third of the average salary for public school teachers in mainland USA, the lack of any real salary increases was only one of many reasons why teachers went on strike. In addition to higher wages, striking teachers say they are primarily fighting for greater control over their working conditions, including defending the School Organization Committee, which has given teachers in Puerto Rico, unlike many teachers on the mainland, some limited control over the curriculum and organization of the schools where they work. The state and the education department have threatened to liquidate the School Organization Committee in the current contract negotiations. Teachers say they are also very concerned about the overcrowding in their classrooms, outdated equipment, and dilapidated facilities. Teachers are calling for a classroom cap of 15-19 students.
In response to the government’s lack of movement on all of these issues, Rafael Feliciano, the head of the Puerto Rican Teachers Federation (FMPR), told the Associated Press on Feb. 20, “the only tool we have to force the government, and in this case the education secretary, to negotiate is to strike.”
Sadly, the strikes have also been marked by a surprising amount of violence, with many teachers being arrested or beaten by police. The Internationalist has reported that at least 14 teachers protesting outside the Gabriela Mistral School in San Juan were arrested the first day of the strike and that many others were molested, beaten, or detained.
As Feliciano told The Internationalist, “today the police, including members of the Fuerza de Choque (Shock Force) which supposedly hadn’t been brought in, went to the Gabriela Mistral School where they beat and dragged off women and men strikers…. We are going to ensure that our picket lines are respected. We will defend ourselves against this aggression.”
The FMPR has recently garnered solidarity and support from many other large labor unions in Puerto Rico, including the electrical workers (UTIER) and water workers (UIA) unions, and the Puerto Rican Workers Central (CPT) and it looks like the strike could continue for some time.
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