Many people think that the teachers' strike is about economic gains, when this is not the case. There is much more to be guaranteed and achieved.

The Teachers' Federation of Puerto Rico (FMPR), called for A Great March for Dignity and the Defense of the Public Schools which will begin this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. from the Sixto Escobar Park to the Fortaleza, the Puerto Rican Capitol Building.

Puerto Rican teachers are waging a fundamental battle in the face of the instransigence of the administration and the government who refuse to negotiate a new Collective Contract. The Teachers' Federation of Puerto Rico (FMPR) has announced that preparations for a strike will continue despite the decertification that management and the government seek to impose on the Federation. Their struggle, in addition to seeking justice for the teachers, represents the interests of the entire educational community.

The proposals for the Collective Contract of the Teachers' Federation contain important measures that are beneficial for students. The teachers are proposing the following educational reforms:

In addition to an 18% salary increase, bonuses based on the level of academic preparation and important improvements in work conditions in order to do justice to teachers, we are demanding specific measures to improve the education which our students receive:

1.A maximum of 15 students per classroom in order to provide individualizad attention to the students. We schools with class sizes of 30, 35, 40 students and sometimos even more. The Department of Education says that because there is no maximum number of students established, they can place as many students as they want in the classrooms.

2.The appointment of teachers to art, physical education, health and other disciplines in order to increase and broaden the academia courses that are offered. Every day the needs of students are ignored by the Department of Education “DE” and it continues to focus its efforts on specialized courses thereby denying students opportunities to express themselves, for creativity and the development of other skills.

3.The appointment of psychologists, social workers and other support personnel for students. Teachers lose hours of class time taking care of situations and problems that students have. Many students do not have the support resources at the schools (counselors, social workers, psychologists, etc.).

4.That all schools have a fully stocked and functional Library. Every day there are more and more schools without a library or libraries that have been closed because of mold and rat infectations in them. There are libraries without books, without computers, without information systems . . . without anything.

5. Concrete measures that can guarantee conditions of good health and security for students in order to insure adequate study and without intruptions. As yourself, how many times have your heard about classes being suspended in X or Y schools becuase of polluted waters, espcaped gases or classroom that still have asbestos contamination? EVERY DAY!

6.Substitute or temporary teachers that are available to attend to students. When a teacher is absent who takes care of the students? It should be someone who can continue and increase the education of those youngsters, not someone that is a BABY SITTER. How many times do you go by a school and you see students in the halls, the yard or the street?

7.Educational organizacional norms that are democratic and participatory and that guarantee academia offerings, the conditions that students deserve, and the participation of teachers. For years the teachers alongside students and community parents developed the schools’ organizacional norms because they knew what the needs were of both society and the students. Currently, the Department of Education has taken Hawaii this right and now only the District with the Educational Region is in charge of School Organization. Last year this led to hundred of courses being eliminated, teachers fired and students without classes or without teachers.

8.Materials and equipment the meets the needs of children and youth to be made available for each course. We have classes without blackboards, blackboards without markers, classrooms without seats, seats without tables, tables without books, books without covers, classrooms without written tests and tests not being given because there is writing paper available in the school, schools without classrooms, classrooms without ventilation, classrooms without fans.

How much money do politicians and the government spend on pork barrel projects? Did you know that in Puerto Rico $40 is spent per prisoner and barely $20 per student. WHERE ARE THE PRIORITIES? Did you know that a Senator Herranz more than $70,00-$100,000 per year and they approved an increase for themselves recently.

9.Gurantees against privatization of the schools in order to insure free quality education. A stop to the privatization of schools and the elimination of the so-called Charter Schools. In Puerto Rico they want to establish “Charter” schools that would be privatized schools, administered by private companies. Schools would cease to be free and they would establish prices for materials and many other things. Teachers would be fired and “ALL” would lose seniority and would contracted for services. They would lose all the increases and previous salaries. Everyone would begin with a basic salary.

What Do The Teachers Fight For?

Acceleration of the negotiations for a contract ( we have been more than 27 months (2-1/2 years) in negotiations without a contract, especially as it pertains to working conditions and just salaries:

*Guarantee of the rights we have acquired
*Better health and security conditions for teachers and students
*Improvements in the Medical Plan
*Retirement at age 25
*An 8% increase in the Christmas Bonus
*A Unionized Workplace so that everyone can enjoy the benefits gained and belong to the organization.
*Negotiate that no repressive measures be taken against teachers who participate in the strike.
*Promote changes to Law 45 to make it in tune with the interests of the workers. This is a management law. To prohibit the right to strike leaves workers defenseless before the bosses and serves the interests of corporate executives and U.S. unions.

The teachers' strike will defend the interests of not only the teachers, but also those of students who will Benedit from the gains acomplished by the FMPR. The government and the Department of Education in their stubborness and arrogante are opposed to improving educational conditions for our children and youth.

The class time lost by students during the strike will be rewarded with the putting into practice of the demands that are obtained in the negoatiation of a Collective Contract.

Aragunde did not want to negotiative and during 27 months never made an offer to be considered for the contract. The FMPR sent him a proposal and the Department of Education never, never sent a counter offer or counter proposal. Even so, they sat at the table to say NO, NO, NO, and NO. That way their way of negotiating for 27 months – No, No, No. They took away our contract. They left us without an ability to defend ourselves, without rights. Who is doing good for education? Who can work like this?

In April 2007, the government and the Department of Education, put out thousands and thousands of student to the streets and left hundreds and hundreds of teachers without jobs, and this was normal to them. When the FMPR and the teachers say that they cannot continue working if there are no guarantees of jobs, then we are the evil ones and we work against the Department of Eudcation. Ask yourself: Who Works for Puerto Rico? The teachers who day in and day out work without rights, without resources, without adequate facilities? Or the DEP? Who has more than 70,000 workers, who are not teachers but employees in their administrative building that are earning thousands and thousands of dollars.

Did you know that base salary of a teacher was $1,500 a month for many years and that it was only increased to $1,600? And that those who have tenure, that are thousands, do not have rights to the increases or other benefits.

Did you know that the salary of the President of the Teachers Federation of Puerto Rico is the same salary that he made when he was a teach? $2,300. How much does Aragunde make? Where do the children of Acevedo Vilá go to school, etc.? Private schools . . . no Gonder they don’t care abouit the current situation in the public schools of Puerto Rico.

ARAGUNDE did not want to negotiate that is why he did not aprobé any part of the contract in more than 2 and a half years and later demands that the FMPR be decertified. Once it was decertified then he said that he could not negotiate with the FMPR because it was certified. The FMPR was re-certified and on Friday the 8th, Feliciano met with Velasco (Secretary of Labor) TO NEGOTIATE – guess who was absent from that meeting – Aragunde. Today, Tuesday the 13th, Feliciano, Velasco and Aragunde met and the words of Feliciano were “we need to negotiate as soon as posible for the good of Puerto Rico, the students and the teachers” given the lack of committment of Aragunde to negotiate . . . . the words of Aragunde were “ I am not going to negotiate anything until Wednesday the 20th, if there is no strike”. He says that he is willing to have a dialogue, but not to negotiate.

Mr. Aragunde the time for talk has already passed, we gave you 27 months to talk, it is time to act, it is time to negotiate.