Posted on 10/13/2009 7:22:43 AM PDT by rrstar96
Union leaders snubbed Police Superintendent José Figueroa Sancha’s request for a meeting Monday to discuss plans and security for the general strike scheduled for Thursda[y] to protest the dismissal of more than 16,000 government workers.
Union leader Federico Torres Montalvo said they stood up Figueroa because he had echoed comments by [Governor Luis Fortuño's] Chief of Staff Marcos Rodríguez-Ema characterizing protesters as “terrorists.” What the two Fortuño administration officials said was that truckers who blocked ports facilities may be in violation of federal anti-terrorism laws.
“We are not terrorists and if the superintendent thinks we are terrorists, then we are not going to meet with him,” Torres said in a radio interview.
The so-called Coalición Todo Puerto Rico por Puerto Rico - made up of labor, religious and civic organizations - is planning a massive rally along Roosevelt Avenue between the Plaza Las Américas shopping center and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Hato Rey on Thursday.
Coalition leaders said multiple marches would be launched from seven different points in the metropolitan area and would converge near Plaza las Américas. Groups of marchers would set out from points including the Minillas Government Center in Santurce, the Río Piedras Medical Center, Chardón Street, the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, UPR Río Piedras, Luis Muñoz Marín Park and the Golden Mile.
Figueroa said the affected roadways would be reopened to vehicle traffic as the marchers move through en route to the Plaza las Américas rally site.
Ports chief warns truckers against blockade
Ports Authority Executive Director Alvaro Pilar on Monday warned truckers who try to block the flow of traffic in an out of the island’s seaports and airports could be stripped of their credentials to access the installations.
Pilar said the agency had received many calls from truckers concerned about the consequences of taking part in possible protest roadblocks outside port facilities on Thursday.
“We are launching an educational campaign because it is very important for everyone to take into account that, after what happened on 9/11, blocking interstate commerce us a federal offense,” Pilar said in a radio interview.
“If they come trying to violate or block the entry and exit of trucks at the docks they will lose their cards. And if they lose them, they won’t get them back,” the Ports Authority chief said.
The warnings came following comments last week by Truckers Front leader Víctor Rodríguez, who said that no products, including food and gasoline, would be allowed to be transported through island ports during the general strike.
“Nobody, nothing will leave,” Rodríguez said last week. “Not water, not gasoline, not any supplies.”
Figueroa said last week that Rodríguez’s expressions alone were sufficient for federal authorities to begin an investigation. Meanwhile, Rodríguez-Ema said at the time “this administration will not tolerate terrorist acts.”
“Today, such actions are clearly defined in federal law as terrorism. Rodríguez should be aware of the consequences if he wants to do this,” the chief of staff said.
Labor unions announced a general strike for Oct. 15 to protest the decision of the Fortuño administration to fire thousands of public employees to try to close a $3.2 billion budget gap.
ping
Things are heating up in the island (and I don’t mean the weather).
Any doubt that Chavez is behind all this?
The taxpayers should go on strike.
Fire them all.
Half a cheer for the union in this case: government misuse of anti-terrorism laws needs to be put down firmly. Or if a labor action, however obstreperous, is legally defined as 'terrorism', then the law needs to be opposed.
Do it.
A general strike certainly seems legitimate, but blockading the ports does not.
Calling it "terrorism", though, is pure horsepuckey. That definition needs to be squashed quickly, before we are all ruled "terrorists".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.