A broad coalition of unions and their workers, teachers, students and community groups in Puerto Rico have called for a National Strike “Paro Nacional” for tomorrow — which is May Day — which many nations around the world celebrate as International Workers' Day.
Puerto Ricans are not only suffering under the longest blackout in U.S. history, harsh austerity measures are being shoved down their throats by the U.S. government’s Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, which they dub “The Junta.” Those measures and school closings, cuts to pensions and services, the privatization of the power agency — PREPA — policies of the current Governor Ricardo “Ricky” Rosselló are making many people on the island very, very angry.
The strike is headline news in all the press on the island — however I haven’t seen a damn word from mainland media.
Speaking with Daily Kos member Chef Bobby Neary in Puerto Rico this morning, he told me people are already lining up for gas since the gas stations may not be open even though the Mayor has said they will be. Bobby said, “people don’t believe it because of long experience with past national strikes. Previous national strikes on the island have shut down public transportation and the airports.”
The island’s Popular Democratic Party (Partido Popular Democrático — PPD) — the opposition party to the currently ruling conservative Statehood Party — the New Progressive Party (Partido Nuevo Progresista PNP) has called out to its members to strike:
Translation:
Secretary General of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Carlos "Charlie" Delgado Altieri and President of the Organization of the Organization of Popular Public Servants, Juan Vega Quiñonez, called out on Monday to the Populares members and the Populares public servants to join the national strike which will take place on May 1st
"We make a call to all popular public servants and all the good Puerto Ricans who are against public policy implemented by Governor Ricardo Rossello this morning to participate in the national strike. In just over a year, the governor and the Legislature of the PNP have perpetrated a historic blow against the working class, both public and private, as well as pensioners, "said Delgado Altieri.
Plaza Las Américas — the largest mall on the island (and in the Caribbean), located in San Juan, has announced it will be closed tomorrow.
Smaller protests as a preamble leading up to the national strike were just held there:
Educators call for participation in the National Strike
(translation)
Representatives of the Broad Front in Defense of Public Education reaffirmed today, Sunday, that on Tuesday there are no classes and they called on the country's teachers to participate in the mobilization, independent of the directive issued by the secretary of the Department of Education. Julia Keleher, that they have to report to work.
There will be 5 marches tomorrow — from different parts of the San Juan Metro area — which will come together in front of the offices the Fiscal Control Board around noon.
Bobby (newpioneer) lives one block away from the starting point of one of the marches at the gates of the University of Puerto Rico. He will be posting a photo diary of the events.
You can follow events tomorrow via people posting to twitter hashtag #ParoNational
Perhaps some mainland press will bother to cover this. Who knows? In any case, Bobby will try to have a recap of events tomorrow evening or Wednesday (if he has internet access)