"Solidarity with Puerto Rican Teachers: Striking for Quality Public Education"

A talk with and fundraiser for Puerto Rican Teachers

Thursday July 24, 2008 7pm

UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., Room 815
UTLA is hosting an evening with leaders of FMPR
(eng. translation- Puerto Rican Teachers
Federation) to hear the story of their 26,000
member strike in February of this year. Teachers
on the island struck for 10 days with massive
parent and community support to win collective
bargaining rights, just salaries, and lower class
size, and to oppose Law 45, which outlaws teacher
strikes. They also struck against the imposition
of charter schools. Their Los Angeles stop is
part of a U.S. tour to build solidarity with
teachers and community people here and to talk
about what it will take to win quality education
for all students as well as build a truly
progressive labor movement. Come learn about
their work and help raise funds to continue their
struggle in Puerto Rico, where the difficulty of
organizing is compounded by repressive colonial
law. (two blocks west of Vermont Ave. – free
parking in structure behind UTLA building on
Berendo) If you need child care, please call
213-637-5149 by Tuesday, July 22 Spanish language interpretation provided



For more information call 213-309-2713.


Fundraiser for the Puerto Rican Teachers' Union!
Recaudación de Fondos Para La Unión de Maestros de Puerto Rico!

Time and Place / Hora y Sitio
Date/Fecha:
Saturday, July 26 / Sábado, 26 Julio
Time/Hora:
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Venue/Sitio:
Women's Building, Auditorium
Edificio de Mujeres, Auditorio

3543 18th St @ Valencia / SF, CA (Map/Mapa)
Donation/Donación:
$5-50. Please bring your checkbook! / ¡Favor de traer su cuequera!


SOLIDARITY! / ¡SOLIDARIDAD!
COME HEAR the president and other members of the Federation of Puerto Rican Teachers (FMPR) speak about their historic 10-day strike against the privatization of their schools and for better work conditions, despite a law that denies public workers the right to strike!

For simply voting to strike, the union was decertified by the Puerto Rican government; however, it struck anyway and stopped the expansion of charter schools and secured wage increases for the teachers, for now.

The teachers need our help. The government has frozen much of their money and the decertification has made dues collection difficult. The government and the school administrators will try to prevent the militant FMPR from regaining representation of the teachers in the upcoming election to push a pro-privatization, anti-teacher agenda, but we won't let them!

Organized by the Bay Area FMPR Solidarity Committee comprised of members from:
American Federation of Teachers 2121, SEIU 1021*, SEIU 24/7*, ILWU 10, Oakland Educators Association*,
The Labor Video Project, NALC 214, Painters' Local 3*, the International Socialist Organization, and more! (*for identification purposes only)

for more information, call 5104675579 or write jessiemuldoon [at] comcast.net

==========================

Vengan a oír a el presidente y a otros miembros de la Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico hablar sobre su huelga histórica de 10 días contra la privatización de sus escuelas y para mejores condiciones de trabajo,
A pesar que una ley niega a sus trabajadores públicos el derecho a huelga!

Simplemente para autorizar la huelga, la unión fue decertificada por el gobierno de puerto rico; sin embargo, se fue a huelga y de todos modos paró la extensión de las escuelas "charter" y logró un aumento de salario para los profesores.

Los maestros necesitan nuestra ayuda.
El gobierno ha congelado la mayor parte de sus fondos y la descertificación ha hecho difícil la colección de cuotas. El gobierno y los administradores de escuelas intentarán evitar que el FMPR militante recupere la representación de los profesores en la elección próxima para presionar una agenda de la privatización, pero no los dejarémos!

Organizado por el Bay Area FMPR Solidarity Committee compuesto de miembros de:
American Federation of Teachers 2121, SEIU 1021*, SEIU 24/7*, ILWU 10, Oakland Educators Association*,
The Labor Video Project, NALC 214, Painters' Local 3*, the International Socialist Organization, and more! (*sólo para identificación)

para más información llame a 5104675579 or escriba a jessiemuldoon [at] comcast.net

7/27/08 (Sunday) 1:00 PM (Donation for FMPR teachers requested)
La Pena Cultural Center Community Room
3105 Shattuck at Prince, Berkeley
Education, Teachers & Privatization In Puerto Rico
For Northern California Education Workers
This meeting for Bay Area education workers will focus on the educational situation in Puerto Rico, the struggle to defend education and also the history of the fight against privatization and the role of the government in pushing charter schools and the issue of militarization of the schools. Also invited are delegates from the AFT and NEA conventions this summer.
For Information Phone 415-282-1908,lvpsf [at] labornet.org
http://defendfmprteachers.googlepages.com/