What's REALLY Happening -- or Not Happening -- in Puerto Rico??? (Hint: We don't know...)

a reply to: pirhanna

Foregoing Trump's extremely poor showing of leadership regarding Puerto Rico (and the San Juan mayor's desperate desire to cover her own ass), it does appear that relief efforts are well under way

Uh , dont know if anyone has pointed this out , but it appears you did a complete 180 in one sentence
Rethink that one.

a reply to: Gryphon66

Actually, from an interview I read, the teamsters in charge of the truck drivers are using this as an excuse to screw the government over some new rules that they passed that affect the truck drivers.

The older man in this video (below) is the boss of a very sketchy (corrupt and violent) Puerto Rico trucker’s union called Fente Amplio. The Union Leader’s name is Victor Rodriguez. The reporter is pleading with Rodriquez to set aside his political grievances with the Puerto Rican governor. Mr. Rodriquez (toothless) angrily shouts NO, and states the truck drivers have a right to be mad and will punish Puerto Rico to prove their union’s strength.

Labor union head Victor Rodriquez is complaining about a law that the governor passed three weeks ago.

The reporter CONFIRMS that the truck drivers are refusing to work in order to get revenge on the governor.

Rodriguez says that the governor’s policies have impacted truckers, so now truckers will show the country THEIR OWN suffering.

The reporters says, “But all this stuff is in the past. In the present, it’s an emergency.”

Rodriguez guy says that the country can now experience what the truckers experience due to the governor’s policies.

Rodriquez says the truckers are not responsible for helping the country. That’s the governor’s job.

Three weeks earlier, nobody cared about the plight of the truckers, so now the truckers don’t care about the country.

This is all the governor’s fault, Rodriguez says. He passed a law, and now he has to live with it.

The governor didn’t understand the suffering of the working man, so now the truckers will show the country what suffering is.

Since the country doesn’t care about truckers, the truckers won’t help.

theconservativetreehouse.com... everage/

Some drivers surely are in survival mode and trying to help their families, but not all of them.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I hope the local news once its up and running hammers the teamsters over that.

I am fairly meh when it comes to unions but any group that pulls this (if its true)in this situation, needs to be hammered into the ground.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I can't stand unions, partly for crap like this. I always hear about how great they are and all the good they do, then they pull something like this.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Looks like the Puerto Rican Teamsters are waging the dogs tail.

a reply to: Tardacus

I didn`t mean to imply that corruption was confined to third world countries I just meant that the situation is perfect for a third world latin American country to capitalize on corruption. with no electricity and basically isolated from world oversight the temptation for corruption ( by both the government and corporations) might be too much for even the most saintly politician or corporate CEO to resist.

Thank you for clarifying and expanding -- you make an excellent point. Those who are corrupt in the best of circumstances would go corrupt-on-steroids so to speak once they thought they no one could see what they were doing...

originally posted by: mikell
Just found this morning that our company has 17 people there who are trying to work in PR. They have power 5 hours a day at work via generator but getting fuel is tough. They are allowed to take their families to work to use the water and relax in the AC. Money is not an issue corporate has pretty much opened up their credit cards to whatever they need however they need to get it.

Donations are being taken but they don't really need anything other than get the power running. They have been given permission to move into the building if needed to make life a bit easier.

Misread our newsletter 27 families and 17 children

That's pretty awesome of your company to do for the families. It's good to hear -- thank you!

originally posted by: Irishhaf
a reply to: Zaphod58

I hope the local news once its up and running hammers the teamsters over that.

I am fairly meh when it comes to unions but any group that pulls this (if its true)in this situation, needs to be hammered into the ground.

I totally agree. Reagan fired the air traffic controllers for less. In a situation like this, it's worse than inhumane. I think "depraved heart" sums it up pretty well.

a reply to: Zaphod58

That looks a lot like an interview promoting a certain media narrative, although, I'm sure that the situations are complex.

Washington Post

“It’s pretty ugly out there,” said Jose Ayala, Crowley’s vice president for Puerto Rico services. “There is damage to the trucking infrastructure, to the distributors, to the supermarkets, to the roads. And then, if your infrastructure is not so damaged, and you can get a driver to the truck, there is no fuel to move the equipment.”

WTVR.com

Relief workers haven’t been able to distribute the goods, in part because only about 20% of Puerto Rico’s truck drivers have reported back to work since Hurricane Maria swept through, according to a representative for Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.

On top of that, Puerto Rico has a shortage of diesel fuel, which is needed to power the semi-trucks. Downed power lines and debris still litter roadways, blocking routes. Even contacting local drivers is an issue because cell service blackouts still cover the majority of the island.

... and many other outlets that don't seem aligned along partisan lines, per se.

a reply to: Gryphon66

Because that would never happen right? It's got to be the media twisting things. Teamsters would never do that.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Gryphon66

Because that would never happen right? It's got to be the media twisting things. Teamsters would never do that.

I'm not defending teamsters or unions ... but you seem to be set on finding fault with them based on an article from your preferred media.

Multiple reports from the ground in PR, including from the US Military state the major problems with getting the trucks moving are infrastructural and fuel-shortage-related.

a reply to: Gryphon66

No, I simply have zero faith in unions or teamsters. And that's not my "preferred media". I don't have preferred media and look at multiple sources. Some sources I've seen even have FEMA saying they won't release the fuel because they're afraid that it would be siphoned and used for something besides delivering supplies.

It's interesting however that the roads are supposed to be wiped out, but the mayors of some of these towns are having no trouble driving back and forth. And yes, I'm well aware of the difference between a car and truck. I drive one and have lived on one for many years now. The truck driving community is practically begging for drivers to go down to Puerto Rico to help.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Gryphon66

No, I simply have zero faith in unions or teamsters. And that's not my "preferred media". I don't have preferred media and look at multiple sources. Some sources I've seen even have FEMA saying they won't release the fuel because they're afraid that it would be siphoned and used for something besides delivering supplies.

It's interesting however that the roads are supposed to be wiped out, but the mayors of some of these towns are having no trouble driving back and forth. And yes, I'm well aware of the difference between a car and truck. I drive one and have lived on one for many years now. The truck driving community is practically begging for drivers to go down to Puerto Rico to help.

I'm sure you have reasons to distrust unions and teamsters or believe the worst about them ... no matter where they are, apparently. Good to know you don't only consume media that agrees with your biases as well.

I think we're all hoping for the best for Puerto Rico. This kind of devastation combined with isolation is almost unimaginable on the mainland.

Nm.

NM

a reply to: Boadicea

Most towns are inaccessible which makes it hard for any thing to get done by road. Even for those that are willing They can't get to the ports whether it be because lack of fuel or road blockages. They need to put a heavy focus on air drops and clearing the roads instead of trying to blame the truckers.

originally posted by: conscientiousobserver
a reply to: Boadicea

Most towns are inaccessible which makes it hard for any thing to get done by road. Even for those that are willing They can't get to the ports whether it be because lack of fuel or road blockages. They need to put a heavy focus on air drops and clearing the roads instead of trying to blame the truckers.

There are reports that all roads are cleared, and the one major highway that crosses the island lengthwise. I haven't been able to independently confirm or debunk that though.

There are also reports that the union is indeed refusing to let their drivers work while they negotiate conditions, and drivers are threatened with firing if they do so.

But your point is well taken that we have no idea how many cannot work and how many will not work.

a reply to: Boadicea

I couldn't find a single report about any roads being cleared. however I did find plenty of reports of the union strike being made up to make trump "look better ".

originally posted by: conscientiousobserver
a reply to: Boadicea

I couldn't find a single report about any roads being cleared.

Not a single one, eh?

How about this from a mayor in Puerto Rico at NPR:

Not everyone believes roadways are the problem. Roberto Ramirez Kurtz is the mayor of Cabo Rojo in southwestern Puerto Rico, which is about as far away from San Juan as you can get on the island — a 2 ½ to 3-hour drive.

He says more than 5,000 homes were completely destroyed in his town, and people are running out of water and insulin. But aid and resources, "they're staying in San Juan," he says.

Kurtz was in San Juan to ask for help, and having made the trip himself, he doesn't believe that road conditions are an obstacle. "The roads are open," he says. "I've been able to come here. So why haven't we used this to [transport goods] west?"

And on Saturday USA Today reported 50% of major roads were cleared. I'm sure they didn't stop there, but have continued clearing roads so we're fairly safe in assuming that it's more than 50% now.

however I did find plenty of reports of the union strike being made up to make trump "look better ".

So the toothless guy in the video posted in the OP was just making stuff up to make Trump "look better"? Okay. I guess that could be.

But one thing I'm pretty damn sure of is that neither one of us really knows.

a reply to: Boadicea

The mayor is a fool. If you were trying to help you would be getting those aid trailers moving. How about suspending the requirement for CDL truck licenses?, or maybe letting the military guys drive the trucks directly, since their authority is immutable.

I appreciate Trump's effort if I were him I would declare martial law (as much as I despise martial law), and seize all private trucks not being used i.e. idle. It is one thing for truckers who can't get to the port, or have no fuel, or tending to their house, or family.

It is intolerable that some of them are refusing to work whether organized or not. Get your stupid assess moving, or God won't have mercy for you at the judgment.