By Doug Cunningham

FMPR, a union representing 42,000 striking Puerto Rico teachers, is officially decertified. An appellate court upheld that decertification. The teachers went on strike after 30 months of bargaining proved fruitless. The Puerto Rican Secretary of Education says there will be no further contract talks under any circumstances. Puerto Rican teachers are paid more than $19,000 less than teachers in any U.S. state, despite the fact that the cost of living is generally higher in Puerto Rico than in the U.S.