Several labor organizations in Puerto Rico called on teachers, teaching and non-teaching staff, University of Puerto Rico (UPR) workers and the general public to join a march on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at 10:00 AM. The march will start at Plaza Colón, go to the Office of Management and Budget (OGP) and continue to La Fortaleza. The organizers say the protest aims to denounce the government’s failure to meet its obligations to workers, demand concrete action to stop the decline of public services, defend public and higher education and guarantee labor rights.
Mercedes Martínez Padilla, president of the Puerto Rico Teachers Federation (FMPR), and Emilio Nieves Torres, secretary general of the National Union of Educators and Education Workers (ÚNETE), said teachers face multiple government failures and policies that worsen working conditions. Their main demands include immediate payment of the Carrera Magisterial debt, approval of a new salary scale recognizing academic preparation and experience, and a dialogue table to guarantee a dignified retirement.
José Rosado, president of the School Carriers Federation, said the government gives information that does not match the payments owed to the sector. He cited a $9.5 million debt accumulated through May and said some companies have not been paid for August services. Hilda Y. Torres Guzmán, president of the Brotherhood of Exempt Non-Teaching Employees of the UPR (HEEND), cited the 2024-2027 collective agreement, a new Classification and Compensation Plan and owed pay.
Jorge Lefevre Tavárez, vice president of the Puerto Rican Association of University Professors (APPU), said faculty have gone 14 years without a raise and a growing share work without a position or tenure.