Labor unrest has been simmering for weeks in Puerto Rico, where the conservative governor Luis Fortuño recently announced the termination of 17,000 public sector jobs, beginning in November. He enacted this drastic cut in response to the island’s $3.2 billion deficit, the result of a three year recession.

The cuts are expected to propel the 15 percent unemployment rate well past the 17 percent mark, worse than any U.S. state. In reaction to these devastating numbers, Puerto Rico’s unions have announced an island-wide general strike today, culminating with a march on the capital. At least twelve of the island’s unions are expected to participate, and non-union workers are being actively encouraged to join as well. Organizers are anticipating at least 100,000 people for the march alone.

The government has not been standing idly by. In a move decried by the ACLU, Fortuño has threatened to charge protesters with terrorism if they block the function of the air and sea ports. This seems likely, given that a general strike is, well, general. (The right to strike is protected under the Constitution.)

I have put out feelers to some of my labor sources and I will be attempting to contact participants and experts Thursday night. In any case, I will try to post something at day’s end and with any luck I will be able to get a feature length article up by Friday, unless my attempts to harvest on the ground sources prove fruitless.

In any case, stay tuned.

On and by the way: there hasn’t been a general strike in the United States since the mid-1930s. Frankly, it’s a little hard to imagine a circumstance that would cause the mainland U.S. labor movement to use such militant tactics.