Anarchist Black Cat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2008

Contacts: Normahiram Perez Rodriguez 646-750-2704
Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez 718-601-4901

SEIU Urged: End Attacks Against Puerto Rico Teachers
Broad Coalition Supports Puerto Rico’s Independent Union

News Conference – Wednesday, May 28 at 10:30 a.m.

A broad coalition of activists will gather Wednesday, May 28 in New York City to express support for Puerto Rico’s embattled teachers and schoolchildren, to protest the decision of SEIU’s leadership to launch an attack on the existing teachers union and to exhort SEIU to cease this activity.

Rafael Feliciano Hernández, President of the Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (FMPR--the Puerto Rican teachers’ union) will be joined at the event by members of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress (PSC), SEIU, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and other local labor leaders, along with the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), community and religious organizations, local student activists, and concerned relatives of Island students.

WHAT: News Conference Insisting SEIU Cease Attacks on Teachers Union
WHO: Puerto Rican, Labor, Education, Religious and Progressive Activists
WHEN: Wednesday, May 28, 10:30 am
WHERE: Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, 475 Park Avenue South at 32nd Street

SEIU--facing a well-publicized internal battle--begins its Convention in Puerto Rico next week in the shadow of its attempt to take over the Island’s 42,000-member teachers’ union. SEIU’s “raid” comes on the heels of sustained efforts by the Puerto Rico Teachers Union (FMPR)—united with parents and students--to fight against:


horrific educational conditions

privatization of schools

the negative effects of “No Child Left Behind”

government assaults on democratic school leadership committees

repressive labor laws

abysmal salaries—monthly average of $1600 with living costs higher than those in the US.

After nearly three years of working without a contract, the teachers unanimously voted to strike in a mass union meeting of over 7,000 members in November 2007. While negotiations continued, sources report that SEIU leader Dennis Rivera was meeting with Puerto Rico Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila.

According to the New York Daily News, the Governor told Rivera that the teachers’ union is “yours to take.” Previously El Diaro-La Prensa reported that Rivera had discussed the teachers union with Acevedo in addition to possible SEIU monetary support for the Governor, who has recently been indicted on corruption charges.

The Puerto Rican government declared the teachers’ strike illegal, based on the vote alone—the actual strike was not called until late February 2008--and moved to decertify FMPR. Almost simultaneously, SEIU announced that the Island’s union of school principals and supervisors was affiliating with SEIU—and would attempt to take over the teachers’ union.

In the aftermath of the 10 day strike that paralyzed the nation’s public schools with unprecedented support and participation from teachers, students and parents, FMPR continues its work as the representative of the Island’s teachers, negotiating with the government over school conditions while fighting for recognition as the bargaining unit.

The Delegate Assembly of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers (UFT) declared solidarity with the Puerto Rico teachers and voted unanimously to “support the Puerto Rican teachers in their struggle to be treated with dignity.” CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress (PSC) resolved to “participate in strike support efforts and solidarity with the striking teachers of the FMPR.” The struggle was discussed at NYC’s Central Labor Council, and the California Federation of Teachers, having sent funds already to support FMPR, plans to urge the AFT to do so as well.

SEIU leadership is in the midst of a tremendous internal struggle with sectors within the union advocating for greater member democracy. As these members engage President Andy Stern and other leaders inside the Convention Hall—ironically to be held in Puerto Rico--FMPR teachers will surely protest what they view as SEIU’s sabotage of the struggle for quality education on their island nation. SEIU leaders’ apparent collusion with the government/employer of teachers in Puerto Rico echoes similar accusations of what critics characterize as a recent trend toward “sweetheart deals” with employers in the private sector on the mainland.

Here in NY, 1199/SEIU, one of the international’s locals with an exemplary reputation as a progressive union, recently launched a series of attempted raids against the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), which represents Registered Nurses. These raids occur as NYSNA’s nurses battle hardened employers who are attempting to diminish nurses’ power as they advocate for quality care for their patients, further escalating the inter-union wars on the mainland.

Rather than destabilizing already difficult situations faced by unions--particularly in a nation such as Puerto RIco that has its own particularities--SEIU’s leaders need to focus on their members as they grapple with the difficult questions that face trade unionists today.

Also, why is it you never see misguided morons doing shit like this in the name of state socialism?

Also, why is it you never see misguided morons doing shit like this in the name of state socialism?

Also, why is it you never see misguided morons doing shit like this in the name of state socialism?

dundee:
Your tone is sickeningly conflictual.

Given that it was 'your people' that did this, don't you think you should at least be *a little bit* more conciliatory, and come out and condemn this foolishness?

All I can see here is that a workers organisation was vandalised by some anti-social parasites. There is no other acceptable frame of interpretation here.

Can a "workers organization" scab on workers and still be a worker's organization?

Maybe it would be a good idea to denounce this vandalism and send a letter to the union local in question distancing our organizations from such attacks.

Such a letter would hopefully have a two fold effect.

1. It would show union members in the local that not all anarchists are stupid anti-worker vandals.

2. It would show other anarchists that such attacks are to be condemned and not applauded!

It would be best if there were an anarchists or a group in the area that could denounce the vandalism that other national (and international) anarchist organizations could sign on too.

Any takers?

The closest specifically anarchist political organization would be class action alliance.

Can a "workers organization" scab on workers and still be a worker's organization?

The SEIU communications staff squirmed on the sidelines, trying to figure out what to make of the confrontation. The irony of seeing them sweat wasn’t lost on me either, considering SEIU crashed the Labor Notes conference just two months ago. To be clear, teachers only clashed with the cops (and rent-a-cops) during this episode. If they ever got close to a crowd of SEIU members they tried to hand them a flyer or start a conversation about why they were there.

Background on SEIU's Raid of the
Puerto Rican Teachers' Union

In January SEIU announced affiliation plans for a rival union, the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (AMPR), which represents principals, school supervisors, and other education personnel. SEIU’s move coincided with a decision by the Puerto Rican government to decertify the Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (FMPR) after it declared its intention last November to go on strike after more than two years working without a contract. Public sector strikes are illegal in Puerto Rico, much like in New York state under the infamous ‘Taylor Law.’

According to Juan Gonzalez at the New York Daily News, SEIU Vice President Dennis Rivera got the green light to raid the teachers union last December from his close friend, Puerto Rican Governor Anibal Acevedo Vilá. As one source informed Gonzalez: “The governor told Dennis, ‘It’s essentially yours to take.’” (read the Daily News story here)

At the end of February teachers launched a 10 day strike that paralyzed the island (read the full story from the April Labor Notes). During the strike reports swirled in the Puerto Rican press that SEIU was offering hefty financial backing for Acevedo Vila’s re-election bid in exchange for support organizing the teachers. Acevedo Vilá, now under indictment for a series of campaign finance scandals, denies reports of a quid pro quo with SEIU. Rivera for his part has similarly denied offering the union’s hefty political purse in exchange for access to the teachers.