An Oct. 18 statement from the Puerto Rican Teachers Federation said, “After refusing to listen to the suggestions of teachers’ organizations, Education Secretary Julia Keleher insists on restarting the school year without schools being in any condition to receive kids. In another example of insensitivity, she threatened teachers with suspension of pay if they don’t follow her orders.”

Soon after the hurricane, the FMPR union had proposed to create assemblies of parents, teachers, students and workers to rehabilitate their neighborhood schools, and also to open up public school cafeterias to the community to help communities recover. They also proposed that the decision about when to reopen schools should be made school-by-school, based on when each school has been made safe through needed repairs and cleanup and when they have electricity and water.

The FMPR statement continues, “Secretary Keleher didn’t listen to these teachers’ union proposals and now hundreds of schools are not ready. On top of that in many parts of the country there is severe flooding that affect all parts of the academic community. For the government the reopening of schools is just something to show ‘another indication of the recovery of Puerto Rico’ to be referenced in the chief executive’s press conferences. It’s an ‘accomplishment’ to be referred to in the administration’s constant media campaign. The Teachers’ Federation calls for setting aside all considerations that are bureaucratic, political or a product of the Department of Education’s lack of sense, and instead to focus on providing an adequate climate for our students. Let's make ‘everything for the kids’ mean something rather than just being a manipulative slogan.”

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Outside the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) convention in Puerto Rico, Saturday, May 31, members of the Puerto Rican teachers union were attacked by riot police when they attempted to distribute fliers. The fliers were critical of SEIU for making a deal with Governor Acevedo Vila for SEIU to replace the militant teachers union in February.

The Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (FMPR – Federation of Teachers of Puerto Rico), representing 42,000 teachers, called a strike in February, almost three years after their last contract expired. Over 7000 members of the union unanimously voted to strike in November 2007. The strike for decent wages and against privatization lasted 10 days. Before the strike even took place, the governor declared the strike illegal and told SEIU vice President Dennis Rivera that the union is “yours to take.”

This example of selling out a strike in a country oppressed by U.S. imperialism is perhaps the worst example of business unionism. The SEIU convention is rocked by internal debates about deal making with bosses instead of class struggle to advance the interests of workers.

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