WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers, the United Federation of Teachers and the Asociacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico have a record of fighting to improve the lives of students, parents and working people through public education and collective bargaining; and

WHEREAS, following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, over 300 schools in Puerto Rico face closure that will disrupt the education of thousands of students, and the livelihood of over 7,000 educators while for-profit corporate executives, privateers and anti-union legislators cynically and systematically use this disaster in Puerto Rico to dismantle public education and erode worker rights, similar to the failed models they imposed upon the people of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina; and,

WHEREAS, the Asociacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico made its collective voice heard in the halls of the Senate of Puerto Rico and the governor’s office, mobilizing thousands of Puerto Ricans to denounce unregulated charters, call for maximum fiscal and educational oversight and fight for teachers’ rights that directly and positively affect the rights of students, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the United Federation of Teachers, working with the AFT, will continue to support the Asociacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico in their fight for public education in Puerto Rico, and,

RESOLVED, that the UFT, in solidarity with the Asociacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico and other trade unions, will continue to find solutions that advance our shared values of public education and worker rights through collective bargaining.