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Building Bridges: Puerto Rican Teachers Union Fights Austerity

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www.buildingbridgesradio.blogspot.com/... Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report National Edition Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg *************************** Massive Demonstrations in Puerto Rico as Teachers Union Fights Austerity with Mercedes Martinez, Pres., Teachers Federation of Puerto Rico (“FMPR”)   With the rejection by Congress of any meaningful measure for debt relief despite the current deadline for almost $1 billion in debt payment due on January 1st, and amidst wealthy investors squeezing the cash-starved Island, unions in Puerto Rican are bracing for any eventuality, from massive layoffs to and including the possibly of a government shutdown.  A general strike is one of the responses being discussed by the FMPR, one of the most militant unions in Puerto Rico.  On Nov. 17, 2015 the FMPR led a highly successful one day strike against the colonial government's brutal austerity program, and escalating attacks on hard earned workers’ rights, including pensions and retiree medical benefits and efforts to privatize the school system. The FMPR’s most recent action, just thus this past week was a civil disobedience activity at the Department of Treasury,against a pay cut in the form of denial of a Christmas bonus due to all public workers. While the  colonial government says Cut Back the FMPR says Fight Back! Plus Puerto Rico's Economic Crisis: Analysis, Alternatives and Solutions with Rafael Bernabe, candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico for the Partido del Pueblo Trabajador (PPT) 2012; professor and director of the Federico de Onís Hispanic Studies Center at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras; economist; and who has  published three books including “Puerto Rico:  Crisis y Alternativas” ************************** To Download or listen to this 26:59 minute radio program, www.buildingbridgesradio.blogspot.com/…    Building Bridges is broadcast live over WBAI 99.5 fm in the NYC Metropolitan area on Mondays from 7-8PM EST. We are syndicated weekly by over 50 broadcast and internet radio stations in the US, Canada and UK

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