Stop violence against striking workers!

MAJOR STRIKE IN PUERTO RICO AGAINST PRIVATIZATION OF PHONE COMPANY

Over the last two days, the Puerto Rico Police has deployed massive armed power against the pickets in front of the facilities of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company. The president of the Puerto Rico Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados), Fermín Arraíza, and the Presidente of the Puerto Rican Commission on Civil Rights (Comisión de Derechos Civiles), Luis Aulet, have expressed themselves in the press against the "excessive use of force" on the part of the police of Puerto Rico.

The labor movement in Puerto Rico is involved in a major confrontation against the government over the privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company. The state owned corporation is being sold by the administration of governor Pedro Roselló to a group of investors led by GTE Corporation and the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico.

Both unions in the Puerto Rico Telephone Company are on strike as of june 18 (Independent Union of Telephone Workers UIE, and Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Workers HIETEL)

The Broad Committee of Trade Union Organizations (Comité Amplio de Organizaciones Sindicales-CAOS) is supporting the telephone workers' strike. The membership of the two most important government sector unions, the Electrical Workers Union (UTIER) and the Aqueduct Workers Union (UIA), have approved strike votes to support fully the efforts of the telephone workers to stop the privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company.

There has been a broad based movement in Puerto Rico against the privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company. On October 1 of last year, over 100,000 demonstrators converged on San Juan to protest government plans to privatize the PRTC. That mobilization was the largest demonstration of any kind ever to take place in Puerto Rico.

The PRTC is an efficient government owned enterprise and governor PedroRoselló´s attempt to privatize it is due to an abstract committment to a neoliberal economic program, not to a reality of inefficiency of governmententerprise, as has been claimed.

In fact, consumers who still remember the time when the local phone company was privately owned by International Telephone and Telegraph agree unequivocally that under government ownership the PRTC has provided better and more efficient service than its private predecessor. If the privatization plan is carried out, at least 2,700 workers will loose their jobs in the immediate future, and many more will loose their jobs over the medium term.

The Broad Committee of Trade Union Organizations (CAOS) is organizing a campaign of support for the telephone workers' strike.

We are requesting letters to the Police Superintendent, to Governor Pedro Roselló, and to important Senators in Puerto Rico demanding an end to police violence against workers exercising their democratic rights.

César Ayala
(for the Puerto Rican Association of University Professors and the Concilio
General de Trabajadores)
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

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SAMPLE LETTER TO GOVERNOR ROSELLO

Hon. Pedro Rosello
Governor or Puerto Rico
La Fortaleza
San Juan, Puerto Rico
FAX 787-725-4569
EMAIL webmaster@govpr.org or prossello@govpr.org

Dear Mr. Rosello,

I am writing to request that you instruct the Superintendent of Police of Puerto Rico, Mr. Pedro Toledo, to stop the violence against the workers of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company and their supporters. The president of the Puerto Rico Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados), Fermín Arraíza, and the Presidente of the Puerto Rican Commission on Civil Rights (Comisión de Derechos Civiles), Luis Aulet, have expressed themselves in the press against the "excessive use of force" on the part of the police of Puerto Rico.

Both unions in the Puerto Rico Telephone Company ( Independent Union of Telephone Workers UIET and Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Workers-HIETEL) are on strike against privatization.

The Broad Committee of Trade Union Organizations (Comité Amplio de Organizaciones Sindicales-CAOS) is supporting the workers strike. The two most important government sector unions, the Electrical Workers Union (UTIER) and the Aqueduct Workers Union (UIA), are also supporting the strike against the privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company.

Failure to enter into dialogue with the unions and a continuation of the policy of violence against the workers can only bring tragic results and decreased the legitimacy for your administration.

sincerely,
*****************************************
SAMPLE LETTER TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE

Mr. Pedro Toledo
Superintendent
Puerto Rico Police
FAX 787-781-0080

Dear Mr. Toledo,

I am writing to request that you stop the violence against the workers of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company and their supporters. The president of the Puerto Rico Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados), Fermín Arraíza, and the Presidente of the Puerto Rican Commission on Civil Rights (Comisión de Derechos Civiles), Luis Aulet, have expressed themselves in the press against the "excessive use of force" on the part of the police of Puerto Rico.

Both unions in the Puerto Rico Telephone Company ( Independent Union of Telephone Workers UIET) and Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Workers-HIETEL) are on strike against privatization.

Violence against the unions can only result in further escalating violence and tragic incidents, and will decrease the legitimacy of your administration.

sincerely,

********************************
OTHER ADDRESSES

YOU CAN FAX COPIES OF YOUR LETTERS TO

Charles R. Lee
Chairman & CEO
GTE Corporation
1 Stamford Forum
Stamford, CT 06901
FAX (203) 965-2277

OR PASTE IT IN THE GTE INTERNET SITE

GTE Customer Support (through the World Wide WEB)
Go to http://www.gte.com/cgi-bin/feedback.cgi

FAX TO THE CEO OF BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Richard Carrion, CEO Banco Popular de Puerto Rico
FAX 787-756-0277

OR PASTE IT IN THE BPPR WEB SITE
https://cupey1.bancopopular.com/bppr/secure/contacto.html

YOU CAN SEND FAXES TO PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT BANK

Sr. Marco Rodríguez Ema
Presidente, Banco Gubernamental de Fomento para Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
FAX 787-721-1443

AN TO THE FOLLOWING SENATORS IN PUERTO RICO
(FOR CUTTING AND PASTING INTO YOUR MAIL PROGRAM, HERE ARE THE CONSOLIDATED
ADDRESSES)

"Kenneth McClintock" <kmcclintock@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Charlie Rodriguez" <crodriguez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Roberto Rexach Benitez" <rrexach@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Luz Z. Arce Ferrer" <larce@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Sergio Pen~a Clos" <spena@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Enrique Rodriguez Negron" <erodriguez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Jorge Santini" <jsantini@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Francisco Gonzalez" <fgonzalez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Anibal Marrero Perez" <amarrero@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Ramon Luis Rivera" <rrivera@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Victor Marrero Padilla" <vmarrero@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Norma Carranza" <ncarranza@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Carlos Pagan Gonzalez" <cpagan@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Jorge Ramos Comas" <jramos@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Modesto Agosto Alicea" <magosto@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Bruno Ramos Olivera" <bramos@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Jose Melendez Ortiz" <emelendez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Carmen Luz Berrios" <cberrios@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Luis F. Navas de Leon" <lnavas@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Carlos Davila" <cdavila@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Luisa Lebron" <llebroni@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>
"Roger Iglesias" <riglesias@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us>

Kenneth McClintock
Tel. 722-4010, 724-0296
Fax. 722-2684
E-mail: kmcclintock@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Charlie Rodriguez
Tel. 721-0122,725-2424, 721-0102
Fax. 724-2010
E-mail: crodriguez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Roberto Rexach Benitez
Tel. 721-8090, 721-8098
Fax. 723-8656
E-mail: rrexach@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Luz Z. Arce Ferrer
Tel. 722-4299, 722-0651
Fax. 724-4715
E-mail: larce@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Sergio Pen~a Clos
Tel. 724-6310, 724-1361
Fax. 725-9697
E-mail: spena@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Enrique Rodriguez Negron
Tel. 723-4749, 723-4708, 724-1550
Fax. 723-2982
E-mail: erodriguez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

1ER DISTRITO SENATORIAL SAN JUAN

Jorge Santini
Tel. 725-4364, 725-6882
Fax. 725-6656
E-mail: jsantini@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Francisco Gonzalez
Tel. 725-6438
fax. 724-7916
E-mail: fgonzalez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

2DO. DISTRITO SENATORIAL BAYAMON

Anibal Marrero Perez
Tel. 725-4784, 725-3755
Fax. 725-6976
E-mail: amarrero@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Ramon Luis Rivera
Tel. 722-6832, 724-1728
Fax. 721-5719
E-mail: rrivera@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

3ER DISTRITO SENATORIAL ARECIBO

Victor Marrero Padilla
Tel. 721-4185, 724-6867
Fax. 722-1582
E-mail: vmarrero@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Norma Carranza
Tel. 723-1965, 724-3446
Fax. 725-9790
E-mail: ncarranza@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

4TO DISTRITO SENATORIAL MAYAGUEZ

Carlos Pagan Gonzalez
Tel. 724-5565, 723-8143
fax. 725-7054
E-mail: cpagan@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Jorge Ramos Comas (PPD)
Tel. 725-8007
Fax. 724-7345
E-mail: jramos@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

5TO. DISTRITO SENATORIAL PONCE

Modesto Agosto Alicea (PPD)
Tel. 722-1096, 724-6735
Fax. 725-3672
E-mail: magosto@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Bruno Ramos Olivera (PPD)
Tel. 725-6781, 725-6667
Fax. 725-6783
E-mail: bramos@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

6TO. DISTRITO SENATORIAL GUAYAMA

Jose Melendez Ortiz
Tel. 722-4019, 722-1231
fax. 725-6511
E-mail: emelendez@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Carmen Luz Berrios
Tel. 721-8057
Fax. 721-8182
E-mail: cberrios@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

7MO. DISTRITO SENATORIAL HUMACAO

Luis F. Navas de Leon
Tel. 722-3122, 725-3330
Fax. 722-2981
E-mail: lnavas@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Carlos Davila
Tel. 722-3467
Fax. 721-1679
E-mail: cdavila@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

8vo. Distrito Senatorial Carolina

Luisa Lebron
Tel. 721-3211, 722-6625
Fax. 722-6625
E-mail: llebroni@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us

Roger Iglesias
Tel. 722-0879, 722-0790
Fax. 724-3003
E-mail: riglesias@SENADO.gvmt.pr.us