Public Employee Press

Puerto Rico
Bargaining rights restored

Public-sector workers in Puerto Rico celebrated a major victory May 17 when Republican Gov. Luis Fortuño signed a law reinstating their collective bargaining rights.

In 2009, using the excuse of a fiscal emergency, Fortuño pushed through the notorious Law 7, which suspended collective bargaining, and then fired thousands of government workers.

Puerto Rico's legislature passed the new law by an overwhelming vote after the island's labor movement answered the hardships Law 7 created with a fightback campaign that included a broad coalition of student and other groups and held massive demonstrations of up to 100,000 protesters and a one day general strike.

The 2011 law restores the right to "negotiate the economic aspects that will do justice to workers and their families," said Servidores Públicos Unidos Concilio 95 President Annette Gonzalez.

SPU - an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, DC 37's national union - represents 15,000 government employees in 12 agencies on the island.

SPU was founded in 1995 as a result of an unprecedented organizing drive that bought many mainland union activists to the island to assist in the effort.

The new law also affects some 8,000 public school cafeteria workers who are affiliated with the United Auto Workers Local 2396.

"This is an incredible victory for public-sector workers," said Local 372 President Santos Crespo, who spent almost two years in Puerto Rico working on the organizing drive.

"Law 7 showed that we can't take our victories for granted. We always have to be vigilant and ready to protect our interests," Crespo said. "The new law shows that we can mobilize and win."