Workers of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) grouped under the Hermandad de Empleados Exentos no Docentes (Heend) gathered Wednesday at the gates and parking lots of the university’s 11 campuses. They demand that the administration implement the negotiated collective bargaining agreement and finalize the Classification and Compensation Plan. Heend members approved a strike vote at an assembly in late September.
Carlos de León, a former Heend president and delegate at the Medical Sciences campus, said the union has an approved strike vote and is beginning concerted actions. He said the campuses are not closed, only the parking lots are affected, and that what happens next depends on UPR president Zayira Jordán Conde. In a written statement, Heend said the actions seek implementation of the 2024-2027 collective agreement, which it says was "negotiated, ratified and signed."
The Classification and Compensation Plan was already worked on by the UPR administration and Heend, but De León said the union receives no clear information on what steps remain before it is implemented. Heend said it has made the same demands since 2024 and that dialogue has not produced results. Heend leaders were to meet Wednesday afternoon with members of the UPR Board of Governors seeking answers, De León confirmed.