The 48 hour general strike in Puerto Rico began with a massive traffic jam that blocked the international airport for six hours. Hundreds of strikers from three unions (Electric Power Authority, Acueducts and Teamsters) parked their cars and a bulldozer in the Baldorioty Expressway which leads to this island's main airport, effectively stopping all westbound morning traffic until 10 am.
All shopping centers were closed down, including Plaza Las Americas, the Caribbean's largest mall. Other stores also closed in various cities and towns.
Banco Popular, the island's largest bank and GTE's partner in the proposed privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC) shut down its 198 branches. Unions have led an active boycott against Banco Popular, closing down their accounts for more than $150 million.
Public transportation was at a complete standstill as bus drivers joined the strike. The University of Puerto Rico was also shut down completely. Other public services were affected by widespread absenteeism by public employees.
Dozens of protest activities were held throughout the island as thousands of workers waving Puerto Rican flags chanted "Puerto Rico is not for sale!" Broad Committee spokesperson Annie Cruz called the strike a huge success.
According to economist Santos Negron, the two day general strike could represent a $100 million loss to the island's economy.
Meanwhile, government officials downplayed the effects of the strike, mantaining that public services and commerce were uninterrupted and that everything was normal.
Finally, the island's governor Dr. Pedro Rossello returned from his beach house where he had been vacationing since July 4th and held a brief press conference. Once again, Dr. Rossello refused to sponsor a referendum over the PRTC sale, arguing that he was duly elected in 1996 and that Puerto Rico has a representative and not a direct democracy.
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Information on the People's Strike may be found at:
Pagina Jose Fortuno: Huelga del Pueblo Contra la Privatizacion
(Bilingual)
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/9169/
Huelga General en Puerto Rico (Bilingual)
http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/5368/huelga.html
Pagina Union Trabajadores Industria Electrica y Riego (En espanol)
http://www.utier.org/solidaridad.html
P'a la Huelga del Pueblo (En espanol)
http://palahuelga.rforest.net
La Red Obrera (Inglaterra) ( En espanol)
http://www.labournet.org.uk/spanish/
Labour Net (Inglaterra) (In English)
http://www.labournet.org.uk/
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Carlos Quiros
Instituto Laboral de Educacion Sindical
(Labor Studies Institute)
PUERTO RICO