UPR Mayagüez maintenance workers approve strike vote
The union cited 14 years without wage increases, frozen positions, loss of retirement benefits and hostile working conditions.
File photoThe short version
- El Nuevo Día reported that employees of the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez campus grouped in Fleurum unanimously approved a strike vote on Oct. 22
- Fleurum president Daniel Echevarría said workers have gone 14 years without a salary increase and most earn minimum wage amid high living costs
- El Vocero reported the union also denounced frozen positions affecting 87 workers, contracting of private firms that damage infrastructure and an atmosphere of intimidation
- The vote authorizes the union board to call a strike at any time; no date has been set
Unanimous approval
Employees of the ornamentation and maintenance sections at the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez campus, represented by the Federación Laborista de Empleados Universitarios del Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (Fleurum), have approved a strike vote. El Nuevo Día reported the decision was taken unanimously in an assembly held on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Fleurum joins the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la UPR and the Hermandad de Empleados Exentos no Docentes (Heend), which have also approved strike votes. Heend issued an ultimatum last week warning it could activate its vote at any moment because of the lack of action to implement its collective-bargaining agreement and classification and compensation plan, El Nuevo Día reported.
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What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
No es un capricho, es la defensa de nuestros derechos adquiridos, que la administración universitaria se niega a cumplir.
Our translation: It is not a whim, it is the defense of our acquired rights that the university administration refuses to comply with.
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Nuevo Día. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Main grievances
Daniel Echevarría, president of Fleurum, said the workers have received no wage increase in 14 years and that the majority remain at minimum wage while the university has shelved implementation of the classification and compensation plan. He described the situation as “indigencia laboral” in the face of Puerto Rico’s high cost of living, both El Nuevo Día and El Vocero reported.
The union also denounced the freezing of positions, leaving 87 workers without permanent status, and the contracting of private companies that it says damage the campus infrastructure. Echevarría further complained of the unilateral removal of the right of newer employees to contribute to the UPR retirement system and to AEELA, calling it discriminatory and harmful to their future economic security. In addition, the union alleged a hostile work environment that includes selective fabrication of cases to intimidate workers and attempts to impose non-functional camera systems without negotiation.
Where the sources differ
Both El Nuevo Día and El Vocero agree that Fleurum approved the strike vote unanimously on Oct. 22, that workers have had no raise in 14 years, that the majority earn minimum wage, that positions have been frozen, that newer employees lost access to the UPR retirement system and AEELA, and that there is a hostile work environment including intimidation and unnegotiated camera systems. El Vocero specifies that 87 workers are affected by the freeze. El Nuevo Día adds that Fleurum is joining two other unions that have approved strike votes and that Heend issued an ultimatum last week over lack of implementation of its collective-bargaining agreement and classification/retribution plan. Both outlets quote the same statements from Daniel Echevarría.
What the reports do not say
Neither report states when or whether a strike will actually begin, how many workers are in the Fleurum bargaining unit, the exact size of the wage increases sought, the response of the UPR administration to the latest vote, or any planned next steps in negotiations.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Empleados del recinto de Mayagüez de la UPR aprueban un voto de huelga
- Reporting Empleados del RUM aprueban voto de huelga por reclamos salariales y condiciones laborales
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día and El Vocero both reported the unanimous approval of the strike vote by Fleurum and the main worker complaints. The details about the other two unions and Heend’s ultimatum rest solely on El Nuevo Día.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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