we want, More Money.
Posted on 10/15/2009 10:39:02 AM PDT by rrstar96
Gov. Luis Fortuño reiterated his call for calm as the general strike got underway Thursday morning to protest his administration’s dismissal of more than 16,000 government workers.
“What is vital here is that if we respect the rights of others, we will have a much more peaceful and fruitful coexistence,” the governor said in a radio interview.
Asked if he was respecting the rights of others, Fortuño replied: “Every day I try to be better than the day before.”
The governor expressed confidence that violence would not mar the protests, which will culminate in a massive rally on Roosevelt Avenue outside the shuttered Plaza las Américas shopping center.
The Coalición Todo Puerto Rico por Puerto Rico—made up of labor, religious and civil organizations—planned multiple marches from different points in the metropolitan area that will converge along Roosevelt Avenue between Plaza Las Américas and Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Groups of marchers were setting out from points including the Minillas Government Center in Santurce, the Río Piedras Medical Center, Chardón Street, the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, [the University of Puerto Rico] Río Piedras [campus], Luis Muñoz Marín Park and the Golden Mile [banking district].
Many public and private schools sat empty as classes were either canceled or parents kept their kids home.
La Fortaleza, the govenor’s mansion in Old San Juan, was guarded by barricades on San Francisco, Cristo and Fortaleza streets that were manned by a small contingent of police officers.
Some 15,000 officers had been deployed to work strike duty, according to Police Superintendent José Figueroa Sancha. The National Guard had not been activated.
Apart from Roosevelt Avenue, the police chief expected “traffic to flow, a little slower than usual, but it should flow.”
That was the case Thursday morning as main roadways in Río Piedras, Santurce, Hato Rey and the Kennedy Expressway in Puerto Nuevo remained open to vehicles. A caravan of striking truckers filed along the Golden Mile in Hato Rey as commercial activity in the island’s financial district was crippled. Suited executives that normally mark the area were replaced by T-shirt clad marchers carrying protest placards.
Fortuño reiterated Thursday that the layoffs were necessary to close a $3.2 billion budget gap inherited from the Acevedo Vilá administration.
The island’s unemployment rate reached 15.8% in September, the highest in the nation. The administration has estimated that the jobless rate could jump to 17.1% in November when the majority of the second and final round of layoff takes effect.
The layoffs are being carried out under Law 7, the package of belt-tightening and revenue measures approved by the Fortuño administration to close a $3.2 billion deficit and pare public spending by $2 billion annually.
The administration already implemented a series of austerity measures including spending cuts and payroll reductions through attrition, voluntary buyouts and a first round of layoffs in late May. The total number of government layoffs tops 20,000.
Upon taking office in January, Fortuño instituted a strict hiring freeze, one of a series of measures aimed at confronting the record $3.2 billion deficit. He also ordered a 10% across-the-board cut in spending, a 30% reduction in positions of trust and some emergency measures to increase revenue. He warned early in the year that as many as 30,000 workers could be dismissed.
The governor said the spending cut is necessary to avoid a downgrade of the commonwealth’s credit rating to non-investment grade or junk level, which he said would have “unthinkable” economic consequences.
In September, Fortuño ordered a substantial reduction of rental payments in all agencies and public corporations of Puerto Rico. The directive orders agencies and public corporations to cut such contracts by at least 15%. Another executive order directed agency chiefs and heads of public corporations to slash service contracts by 15%.
combined cll/rrstar96 Puerto Rico ping
Just what exactly does a government “worker” do to go on strike?
Call in sick, I suppose.
I thought all the Puerto Ricans who wanted to work were in New York.
Arnold should be doing this stuff in California.
Successful
bttt
...Puerto Ricans who wanted to work were in New York
LOL
To the contrary-—they and all other freeloaders are in NY in order NOT to work.
we are the “benefits” capital of the US
When I lose my job, it’s no big deal.
When some government worker loses their job, all hell breaks loose.
Any questions?
Looking thru news articles, SEIU seems to be dominant player behind strike.
They are trying to achieve a "general strike", where ALL economic activity is stopped. The big mall in the capital is shut down. They are talking about shutting down the airport and port, and blocking roads, etc. The schools are shut down, leaving parents to figure out what to do with their kids.
It sounds like you have a governor who is intent on balancing the budget, and is willing to confront the unions as necessary.
When you’re done with him, can we have him?
I’m thinking we should run this guy for president.
They will be now. Hey at least he’s not telling everyone to keep on spending. Too bad he can’t just print more money.
Labor unions in Puerto Rico have never been friends of pro-statehood, pro-American governors, including Fortuño.
"The impact of the general strike was being felt by tourists in [the] Condado [section of San Juan] on Thursday as many opted to stay inside their hotels while others were mulling whether to leave the island altogether.
"'We plan to leave,' said Angela Wilson, a tourist who arrived in Puerto Rico from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. just Wednesday.
"'Everything is closed, there isn’t much to do, so why should we stay?' Wilson said. 'What are we going to do today, it’s a little boring.'
"Wilson and the group of women she is traveling with had planned to go shopping in Old San Juan. Informed that many shops were shuttered for the strike, they opted to stay at the beach outside their hotel. She said the group would decide during the day whether to leave the island early or stay on until Monday as originally planned.
"Hotels including the Conrad Condado Plaza and the Condado Marriott sent out memos to guests informing them of the general strike, warning them that public transport had been halted and advising them to stay close to the hotels and avoid Old San Juan and other areas of the capital city.
"La Concha Hotel employee Héctor Carrión said more guests were stay putting than usual.
"Sandra Fortin and Karoline Fortier, tourists from Boston, said the protest had little effect on their plans, but were critical of the demonstration by independence groups in Old San Juan on Wednesday that blocked several streets.
"'I understand why they are protesting but when little children are stuck in traffic it doesn’t seem like a good idea to me,' Fortin said.
"Tourism Co. Executive Director Jaime López Díaz said the strike had not affected the tourism industry.
"'It is a normal day of work and service for the tourism industry,' López Díaz said after a tour of the metro area and conversations with taxi drivers, workers, tourists and airline employees.
"Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was operating as normal with no delays, he said."
Good old Roger Abootman!
hehe. Head of the WBA.
I’m not your guy, friend!
Will they qualify for free gum and those 50% off coupons?
“He’s not your buddy, pal.”
I’m sure they qualify for a free meal at Bennegans. With a purchase of a meal at equal or greater price of course.
Well, they're not utter Communists.
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