RIght now, SPT-SEIU members and leaders are holding a sit-in in Pedro Pierluisi's office, the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico. Pierluisi is the sole representative in Congress of the 4 million American citizens who reside in Puerto Rico.

Members of SPT-SEIU took charge of the Resident Commissioner's office in San Juan earlier this morning, demanding that Pierluisi, as a Democrat, reject the Republican policies of Governor Luis Fortuño. "Pierluisi misrepresents himself in Washington as member of the Democratic Party, while advocating in Puerto Rico for every Republican, anti-worker measure ever taken on the Island," said Israel Marrero, vice president of SPT-SEIU and an active leader of Obama's campaign.

The Fortuño administration is gambling right now. They're betting that the ARRA funds will make up for any economic losses the 25,000+ lay-offs of public employees may cause. But that's not what the $2.9 BILLION in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were intended to do. These funds were intended to help the Island create jobs--not make up for the economic fallout that could result from laying off over 10% of the Island's workforce. Yet according to federal reporting, Puerto Rico has created only 126 jobs.

SPT-SEIU is holding today's sit-in to demand that the Resident Commissioner sign a letter publicly repudiating his support for Article 3 of Law 7, the legislation which made viable the dismissal of over 25,000 public employees.