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CWA Urges Governor to Control Security Forces as Union Members in Puerto Rico Set National Strike
The president of the world's largest telecommunications union has again called on Gov. Pedro Rossell¢ to protect the safety and rights of workers involved in a major labor dispute in Puerto Rico.
In a July 2 letter to Gov. Rossell¢, Morton Bahr of the Communications Workers of America, reiterated CWA's concern for the safety of "our own members and others in light of violent clashes that have taken place between the police and the telephone strikers."
On Tuesday, July 7, hundreds of thousands of union members and allies in Puerto Rico are expected to join a national strike, demonstrating their support for the striking members of two telephone unions-the Independent Union of Telephone Workers, UIET, and the Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Workers, HIETEL. Members of these unions have been on strike since June 18, protesting the proposed privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company.
Earlier, Bahr condemned the savage beatings and other attacks on workers who were simply exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest. In his letter, Bahr urged the governor "to use your good offices to control the security forces and safeguard the right of these workers to gather and demonstrate." He added that "CWA stands ready to help in any way we can to help resolve this dispute."
Additionally, N‚stor Soto, president of UPAGRA/TNG, a CWA affiliate representing journalists and broadcasters in Puerto Rico, has contacted the superintendent of police, urging him to stop the violence directed at strikers and broadcasting personnel covering the strike.
CWA has had an alliance of mutal cooperation with UIET and HIETEL since 1990 and has pledged to help the unions in any way it can. Bahr also has been in contact with Jos‚ Juan Hern ndez, president of UIET, and with other telephone union leaders. As the union representing workers throughout the telecom industry and having gone through the breakup of the Bell system and several mergers, CWA has firsthand experience dealing with the massive changes that have been taking place in telecom on a global scale.
In Puerto Rico, CWA members include workers at major newspapers, television operations, AT&T and USAirways. CWA represents 630,000 members in telecommunications, newspapers and media, broadcast and cable television, printing and publishing, health care and the public sector, higher education and the airline industry.
In a July 2 letter to Gov. Rossell¢, Morton Bahr of the Communications Workers of America, reiterated CWA's concern for the safety of "our own members and others in light of violent clashes that have taken place between the police and the telephone strikers."
On Tuesday, July 7, hundreds of thousands of union members and allies in Puerto Rico are expected to join a national strike, demonstrating their support for the striking members of two telephone unions-the Independent Union of Telephone Workers, UIET, and the Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Workers, HIETEL. Members of these unions have been on strike since June 18, protesting the proposed privatization of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company.
Earlier, Bahr condemned the savage beatings and other attacks on workers who were simply exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest. In his letter, Bahr urged the governor "to use your good offices to control the security forces and safeguard the right of these workers to gather and demonstrate." He added that "CWA stands ready to help in any way we can to help resolve this dispute."
Additionally, N‚stor Soto, president of UPAGRA/TNG, a CWA affiliate representing journalists and broadcasters in Puerto Rico, has contacted the superintendent of police, urging him to stop the violence directed at strikers and broadcasting personnel covering the strike.
CWA has had an alliance of mutal cooperation with UIET and HIETEL since 1990 and has pledged to help the unions in any way it can. Bahr also has been in contact with Jos‚ Juan Hern ndez, president of UIET, and with other telephone union leaders. As the union representing workers throughout the telecom industry and having gone through the breakup of the Bell system and several mergers, CWA has firsthand experience dealing with the massive changes that have been taking place in telecom on a global scale.
In Puerto Rico, CWA members include workers at major newspapers, television operations, AT&T and USAirways. CWA represents 630,000 members in telecommunications, newspapers and media, broadcast and cable television, printing and publishing, health care and the public sector, higher education and the airline industry.