Catherwood LibraryILR School

At the end of her teaching day, Felicita Figueroa would like nothing more than to leave her crumbling, rat-infested school building in the Puerto Rican capital. But to pay her bills, she needs to stay late and offer private tutoring sessions. So she will not hesitate to join an island-wide strike that could begin as early as Friday -- even though participating in an illegal walkout could cost her the job. 'I can't take 30 years of this,' said Figueroa, 28, adding that her annual salary of $19,500 barely covers food and her share of rent for a small apartment. With contract negotiations at an impasse, the union that represents most of the 42,000 teachers in the U.S. island territory has threatened a strike to demand pay raises, smaller class sizes and repairs of neglected school buildings.