PUERTO RICO TEACHERS, PUBLIC-SECTOR UNIONS TAKE TO THE STREETS OVER UNPAID WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Six labor organizations join forces for San Juan demonstration, demanding millions in outstanding teacher compensation and improvements to public education

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — November 5, 2026 — Teachers and public-sector workers are expected to take to the streets of Old San Juan on Thursday in a coordinated demonstration demanding payment of outstanding salaries, improved working conditions and greater government accountability over commitments made to the island's education workforce.

The demonstration, organized under the banner of a Day of Teachers' Indignation (Día de Indignación Magisterial), is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at Plaza Colón. Protesters plan to march toward the Office of Management and Budget before continuing to La Fortaleza, the governor's official residence.

Six labor organizations are participating in the mobilization, including the Puerto Rico Teachers Federation (FMPR), the National Union of Educators and Education Workers (ÚNETE), the Puerto Rico Association of University Professors (APPU), the Brotherhood of Exempt Non-Teaching Employees (HEEND), the Federation of School Transportation Providers and the University of Puerto Rico Workers Union (STUPR).

$90.4 MILLION IN OUTSTANDING TEACHER PAYMENTS

At the center of the dispute is approximately $90.4 million in compensation reportedly owed to more than 5,000 teachers under Puerto Rico's Carrera Magisterial program.

The program recognizes teachers' professional development, academic qualifications and experience. However, educators say payments they are entitled to have remained outstanding despite previous government assurances that funding had been identified.

Union representatives are demanding that the government move beyond announcements and establish a concrete timetable for distributing the money owed to affected educators.

SALARIES, RETIREMENT AND SCHOOL CONDITIONS

Beyond the outstanding payments, teachers and other education workers are raising concerns about salary levels, retirement benefits and deteriorating working conditions across the public education system.

Their demands include a revised salary structure that recognizes academic achievements, years of service and professional responsibilities.

Educators are also calling attention to administrative workloads, insufficient custodial and security personnel, and the general conditions under which teachers and other school employees are expected to work.

University professors are joining the broader labor mobilization, with their association highlighting concerns over salaries that it says have gone 14 years without an increase.

GOVERNMENT SAYS SCHOOLS WILL REMAIN OPEN

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Despite the planned demonstration, Puerto Rico Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés has indicated that public schools will remain open Thursday and that classes are expected to proceed normally.

The secretary has also addressed concerns surrounding the Carrera Magisterial payments, acknowledging that approximately $90.4 million had been identified to address the outstanding obligations.

However, the dispute remains unresolved, with educators continuing to demand that the government fulfill its financial commitments.

A BROADER LABOR DISPUTE

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Thursday's mobilization highlights growing tensions between public-sector workers and government authorities over compensation, labor conditions and the fulfillment of financial commitments.

The participation of multiple unions also demonstrates that the concerns extend beyond classroom teachers to other workers who support Puerto Rico's public education system.

Whether the demonstration will lead to direct negotiations or additional labor action remains to be seen.

For thousands of educators awaiting compensation, the central question remains when the government will deliver the payments they say they are owed.