December 13, 1974

The strike against the Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA—Aqueducts and Sewers Authority) began Oct. 30 in defiance of a court injunction. On Nov. 4 a jail sentence of 30 days was handed down against 11 strike leaders for violating the court order.

However, the workers refused to participate in any negotiations while their leaders were in jail, and a general strike was threatened by the Puerto Rican labor movement.

On Nov. 8 the sentencing judge backed down and released the 11 union leaders, giving them five days to negotiate an end to the strike or face imprisonment once more. When the deadline ran out without a settlement, Governor Rafael Hernández Colón chose to pardon the 11 rather than face the prospect of a general strike.

The new attack on the AAA strikers parallels the action of Hernández Colón in July 1973, when the guard was called out against striking firemen and electrical workers.  
 

December 12, 1949

The "election" of Gómez was truly a one-party affair run from beginning to end by the ruling Conservative Party. After the Liberal Party once again got a majority in both Congress and Senate in last June's congressional election, the Conservatives realized they had no chance to win the presidency in a free election.

They therefore prepared for last month's election by launching a campaign of terror, murder, burning and destruction of whole villages and small communities where the Liberals had a strong following. Then, without consulting Congress, the Conservatives, through the President, declared martial law a few weeks before election day under the pretext that there was a state of "undeclared civil war." This move abolished all constitutional guarantees, imposed a drastic censorship on the opposition press and prohibited political gatherings.  
 
 
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