Filling Gaps Left By Trump, Nurses and Labor Unions Join Puerto Rico Relief Efforts

"I put out the call for help, and who listened? The unions," said Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, the Puerto Rican capital.

Workers representing more than 20 unions boarded a flight to San Juan late last week "in response to the urgent need to get highly skilled workers to Puerto Rico to help people seeking medical and humanitarian assistance, as well as to help with the rebuilding effort," according to the AFL-CIO's Kenneth Quinnell.

Filling Gaps Left By Trump, Nurses and Labor Unions Join Puerto Rico Relief Efforts

This used to be called "being a good corporate" - corporations allowing, even encouraging, workers to help the community in times of need.

In 1995, during the aftermath of the Northridge, CA earthquake, Budweiser, at their own expense, who has always had a plant in the area, bottled and delivered hundreds of thousands of cans of water to facilities and individuals that were without water for up to three weeks. I believe they did the same more recently in Houston. And - it was money well spent - in the good will, better then any advertising.

In the case of Puerto Rico it has been up to the Unions, largely lead by a Nurses Union, to carry the weight alone as the federal governments response has been abysmal. Kudos to those companies for allowing their employees to do this important work - it's what government is suppose to lead - one of the PROPER (according to libertarians) uses of government.

Back to 1995 in Northrige - the CA national guard was on site the day of the event, FEMA the day after with the insurance companies. There was a plan and people knew what to do. Today there is no plan and people, people tasked with this responsibility are doing little or nothing regardless of what the president cares to believe and say.

In total, more than 300 union members are taking part in the joint response effort, which could be seen taking shape on social media over the weekend.

"We use the word 'solidarity' a lot in the labor movement. The idea that when we come together, we are stronger," wrote Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. "On this relief mission, it was solidarity in the truest sense of the word. Working people united around a common purpose — to provide help for those in need."

a reply to: FyreByrd


There are a lot of private organizations other than the Federal government down in Puerto Rico helping out. Oathkeepers is looking for Combat Engineers and people who specialize in plumbing and electrical skills to get a hospital in Puerto Rico up and running. So instead of using this situation to bash Trump did you ever think of "WHY the government of Puerto Rico is so screwed up to not even have people skilled enough to get a hospital up and running?".


Not for nothing, but your source is far from being non biased.

We share our readers’ progressive values of social justice, human rights, equality and peace. Common Dreams is committed to not only being your trusted news source, but to encouraging critical thinking and civic action on a diverse range of social, economic, and civil rights issues affecting individuals and their communities.

LINK

This is what happens when people are conditioned to rely on the Government......

a reply to: FyreByrd

"Filling gaps left by Trump" is a dishonest line. This happens every natural disaster. Nothing to do with Trump.

The gaps are in their narrative. If it was a solid narrative, they wouldn't have to mislead people.

What’s missing from your article is any and all efforts by the feds, and thus the assumption that Trump has done a bad job is always taken on assumption.

How the federal government has responded to Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria

In any natural disaster, the locals need to get together and help each other. In that sense it’s good to see people helping each other instead relying on people from elsewhere–the federal government–to bail them out.

So the crumbling infrastructure Puerto Rico already had before any hurricanes leveled the island, and the corruption that lead to that crumbling infrastructure, are somehow Trump's fault? Really?

There is always the need for more of everything when an area is as devastated as what Puerto Rico is. But hey, let's blame Trump for it.

You know this was probably a hand pick source so the OP could start a trump bash thread. Guess the front page hadn't had one in a few hours so someone had to riiiight???

Seems like that mayor can do nothing but blame trump for her shortcomings...she sure hasn't been able to help her own people. In fact I remember reading earlier in the relief effort how mayors and representatives from other towns and cities were at these meetings organizing the relief effort and they were saying how no one had seen this mayor attend any of the meetings yet. Don't know if that has changed or not...probably too busy making shirts and giving trump bash interviews to be bothered.

a reply to: RickyD

Yes multiple agencies reported that just about every other mayor was making these meetings to organize the logistics, but she was too busy with photo ops. She was "rescuing people", where 1 extra body doesn't make a difference and if anything she was probably in the way, but having your mayor at a planning meeting is critical to make sure supplies get where they are most needed.

#ing selfish excuse for a mayor.

I think FEMA gave up on her help and moved on because she didn't have time to help coordinate efforts.

A lib running for office with the labor unions help. So old school and she don't even realize it.

A local charity has reps there to get stuff from the planes before it hits the warehouses and disappears. They said the warehouses are full but no paperwork can get the stuff back out.

a reply to: FyreByrd

So local authorities finally pulled their finger out after realising that Trump wasn't going to do everything for them?

He sent the aid. What San Juan didn't do with it is their fault frankly. OP is BS.

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: FyreByrd


Oathkeepers is looking for Combat Engineers and people who specialize in plumbing and electrical skills to get a hospital in Puerto Rico up and running.

So instead of using this situation to bash Trump did you ever think of "WHY the government of Puerto Rico is so screwed up to not even have people skilled enough to get a hospital up and running?".


Not for nothing, but your source is far from being non biased.

We share our readers’ progressive values of social justice, human rights, equality and peace. Common Dreams is committed to not only being your trusted news source, but to encouraging critical thinking and civic action on a diverse range of social, economic, and civil rights issues affecting individuals and their communities.

LINK

This is what happens when people are conditioned to rely on the Government......

Why Not? It's only the truth.

And looking and sending are two very different things.

Yes there are many people helping in Puerto Rico - just not very many from our current administration.

Here's a source you may prefer: www.washingtonpost.com... cfe-d5b912fabc99_story.html?utm_term=.2aad1209e240

After an earthquake shattered Haiti’s capital on Jan. 12, 2010, the U.S. military mobilized as if it were going to war.

Before dawn the next morning, an Army unit was airborne, on its way to seize control of the main airport in Port-au-Prince. Within two days, the Pentagon had 8,000 American troops en route. Within two weeks, 33 U.S. military ships and 22,000 troops had arrived. More than 300 military helicopters buzzed overhead, delivering millions of pounds of food and water.

No two disasters are alike. Each delivers customized violence that cannot be fully anticipated. But as criticism of the federal government’s initial response to the crisis in Puerto Rico continued to mount Thursday, the mission to Haiti — an island nation several hundred miles from the U.S. mainland — stands as an example of how quickly relief efforts can be mobilized.

This is about COMPETENCE not politics.

originally posted by: face23785
a reply to: FyreByrd

"Filling gaps left by Trump" is a dishonest line. This happens every natural disaster. Nothing to do with Trump.

The gaps are in their narrative. If it was a solid narrative, they wouldn't have to mislead people.

Refer to above post.

Just Who is misleading Whom?

originally posted by: FyreByrd

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: FyreByrd


Oathkeepers is looking for Combat Engineers and people who specialize in plumbing and electrical skills to get a hospital in Puerto Rico up and running.

So instead of using this situation to bash Trump did you ever think of "WHY the government of Puerto Rico is so screwed up to not even have people skilled enough to get a hospital up and running?".


Not for nothing, but your source is far from being non biased.

We share our readers’ progressive values of social justice, human rights, equality and peace. Common Dreams is committed to not only being your trusted news source, but to encouraging critical thinking and civic action on a diverse range of social, economic, and civil rights issues affecting individuals and their communities.

LINK

This is what happens when people are conditioned to rely on the Government......

Why Not? It's only the truth.

And looking and sending are two very different things.

Yes there are many people helping in Puerto Rico - just not very many from our current administration.

Here's a source you may prefer: www.washingtonpost.com... cfe-d5b912fabc99_story.html?utm_term=.2aad1209e240

After an earthquake shattered Haiti’s capital on Jan. 12, 2010, the U.S. military mobilized as if it were going to war.

Before dawn the next morning, an Army unit was airborne, on its way to seize control of the main airport in Port-au-Prince. Within two days, the Pentagon had 8,000 American troops en route. Within two weeks, 33 U.S. military ships and 22,000 troops had arrived. More than 300 military helicopters buzzed overhead, delivering millions of pounds of food and water.

No two disasters are alike. Each delivers customized violence that cannot be fully anticipated. But as criticism of the federal government’s initial response to the crisis in Puerto Rico continued to mount Thursday, the mission to Haiti — an island nation several hundred miles from the U.S. mainland — stands as an example of how quickly relief efforts can be mobilized.

This is about COMPETENCE not politics.

Haiti? Lol, where did all the children go?

So the corrupt Puerto Rica government and lack of adequate infrastructure prior to the hurricane had nothing to do with post-storm issues? Apparently you believe the corrupt mayor who is also big Hillary supporter and blame the devastation on Trump...From where I sit, shame on Puerto Rico and its awful leadership for trying to blame the hurricane's devastation on Trump--and shame on the media for publicizing this political garbage during a catastrophe.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
What’s missing from your article is any and all efforts by the feds, and thus the assumption that Trump has done a bad job is always taken on assumption.

How the federal government has responded to Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria

In any natural disaster, the locals need to get together and help each other. In that sense it’s good to see people helping each other instead relying on people from elsewhere–the federal government–to bail them out.

Again, I have offered, now, two examples of COMPETENT disaster responses by our Federal Government. The response in Puerto Rico is not comparable in any way, nor the response in Houston. Don't know about Florida.

This is not about politics - it's about people's (in this case US citizen's) lives.

originally posted by: FyreByrd

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
What’s missing from your article is any and all efforts by the feds, and thus the assumption that Trump has done a bad job is always taken on assumption.

How the federal government has responded to Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria

In any natural disaster, the locals need to get together and help each other. In that sense it’s good to see people helping each other instead relying on people from elsewhere–the federal government–to bail them out.

Again, I have offered, now, two examples of COMPETENT disaster responses by our Federal Government. The response in Puerto Rico is not comparable in any way, nor the response in Houston. Don't know about Florida.

This is not about politics - it's about people's (in this case US citizen's) lives.

If it is not about politics, why did you use a source that promotes Social Justice and Progressive causes?

a reply to: Zoyd23

I think he must be completely unaware that the stubborn mayor of the city was screwing the truck drivers. Then when it bit her in the arse, she blamed Trump...

It's getting boring now.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
So the crumbling infrastructure Puerto Rico already had before any hurricanes leveled the island, and the corruption that lead to that crumbling infrastructure, are somehow Trump's fault? Really?

There is always the need for more of everything when an area is as devastated as what Puerto Rico is. But hey, let's blame Trump for it.

The crumbling infrastructure in PR (not to mention the rest of the US) is a direct result of Extractive bi-partisan economic policies of the last forty years (voodoo, trickle-down, neo-liberal, whatever you want to call it).

Puerto Rico's debt and, so called corruption, is the simple corruption that is present in any colonized territory where value is extracted (removed from) the locality while the locals are required to pay for the 'privilege' of that extraction.

Think Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart moves to your smallish town. The town council get wined and dined (and ???? donations) to get permission and tax cuts to build in the city limits. Walmart is happy, the town fathers are happy ($$$$). The Wal-Mart get build. New jobs (bad part-time ones with no benefits - the full time jobs go to out of towners) those jobs aren't enough to contribute to the tax base. Small Mom & Pop (Main Street) can't compete with the prices and go out of business - again putting people on the dole and lowering tax base. And on and on. The revenues generated are taken out of the community and into the pockets of the Walton Family and their cronies with a pitence to their local wage slaves and donations to city fathers... This is the way of extractive economies. So you cannot 'blame' Puerto Rico for acting like any american town.

a reply to: FyreByrd

This is not about politics - it's about people's (in this case US citizen's) lives.

It should be, anyway. Shame when even the much-maligned FEMA thinks a government official isn't doing enough to help them get things moving rather than photo-oping in the streets.

Which is how they feel about the mayor of San Juan.

It's great to go out and shake hands and make sure people know you're delivering water to folks and to let people hear you issuing platitudes. It would probably help more to not get lost in the weeds, though.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Lol you can't blame people for being corrupt? How is that even an argument?

Does that apply to law enforcement as well? Public officials? Oh that cop took bribes? Enh, he's just doing what people do. Can't blame him for that.

You don't get a free pass for mismanaging your state, nor your territory. Nobody else gets a free pass when they mismanage something (see your own claims in regards to Trump's response to PR, if you need to see how free passes aren't given to anybody) and it winds up costing them in the long run.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: FyreByrd

This is not about politics - it's about people's (in this case US citizen's) lives.

It should be, anyway. Shame when even the much-maligned FEMA thinks a government official isn't doing enough to help them get things moving rather than photo-oping in the streets.

Which is how they feel about the mayor of San Juan.

It's great to go out and shake hands and make sure people know you're delivering water to folks and to let people hear you issuing platitudes. It would probably help more to not get lost in the weeds, though.

AGAIN - I am not maligning a Federal Agency - I am ....

questioning the COMPETENCE of it's current direction.

From F.A. Hayek....

In no system that could be rationally defended would the state just do nothing."[31]

Upon the roles of government.

en.wikipedia.org...