Puerto Rico is bracing for a second day of protests Thursday as public-sector workers said they will continue to fight for higher wages and more pension guarantees as the U.S. commonwealth struggles to balance the demands of a historic bankruptcy against growing discontent, Bloomberg News reported. On Wednesday, several thousand people — including teachers, firefighters and labor unions — marched to the governor’s mansion in the heart of the Old San Juan tourist district, waving signs and banging pots and pans in one of the largest displays of discontent in more than a year. The move comes amid soaring consumer prices, including a sharp spike in the cost of housing. A teachers’ strike last week led the government to tap federal funds to give them a temporary $1,000-a-month raise starting July 1. On Wednesday, Finance Secretary Francisco Pares Alicea suggested more wage hikes are in the works.
