Protests large and small swept across Brazil on Friday, leaving businesses closed, schools empty and an unpopular president facing ever louder calls to step down.

For the first time in more than 20 years, Brazilians held a general strike, with millions of workers walking off the job to protest controversial labor and pension reforms that were proposed by a president with an approval rating of just 4% and that are currently moving through Congress. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the country’s major cities, many carrying signs reading “Fora Temer!” — “out” with President Michel Temer.

Most protests passed without incident, but by Friday night a group of protesters advanced on the Sao Paulo neighborhood where Temer owns a house. They broke up sidewalks and lobbed chunks of concrete at police trying to disperse the crowd with tear gas and flash grenades. Protesters also set some buses on fire, and at least 16 arrests were reported.

A larger, peaceful protest, estimated at 70,000, headed out in the direction of Temer’s home from a nearby neighborhood earlier in the evening to protest the president, whom they consider illegitimate, and his recent proposed labor and pension reforms. Temer, the former vice president who succeeded Dilma Rousseff as president after she was impeached last year, still lives in the vice president’s residence in Brasilia, the capital.

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The activity directed at Temer’s house was just a small part of a day of protest that touched the lives of Brazilians across the country. Among those affected was Jose Carlos Rodrigues Jr., who had heard of the plans for a general strike and had wondered how events would play out.

At 8 a.m. he took his 1-year-old daughter, Isadora, to catch a bus that usually takes them from their home in the coastal city of Santos to the megacity of Sao Paulo. It never arrived.

Rodrigues wasn’t surprised, nor that disappointed, despite the inconvenience.

“I tried my luck, and I was happy to see that I had to wait,” Rodrigues said. “It meant the strike had gone forward. I very much support it.”

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Brasilia's normally busy bus terminal is left empty Friday by a general strike called by unions opposing austerity reforms proposed by the federal government. (Andresssa Anholete / AFP/Getty Images)

Across the country, Brazilians in major cities across the country all woke up to empty streets. Many businesses failed to open and both public and private schools closed their doors as Brazil was partially paralyzed Friday morning.

Rodrigues and Isadora were able to make it to their destination thanks to a ride from an uncle and another wait for a chartered bus, but many who wanted to go to work were late or never arrived.

“There aren’t any buses running and it’s way too far to go by bike,” said Wilson Almeida, who tried to get to the bakery where he works as a server. “I can’t afford to go by Uber. The money I would earn today would basically pay to get me to and from work. And my boss won’t understand.”

Like Almeida, many worried about losing their jobs if they missed work — whether because they participated in the strike or just couldn’t get where they needed to go — particularly because of Brazil’s economic crisis and steep unemployment.

A popular suggestion circulating on social media was to use the day off to donate blood. Not only would it help those in need, it would provide a perfect excuse; in Brazil, you can miss a day of work without penalty if you get a doctor’s note saying you were donating blood.

In cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, groups of protesters blocked roads with burning tires, or threw rocks at police, who were firing tear gas in order to disperse crowds. Peaceful protesters invaded airports in Sao Paulo and blocked entrances to those in other cities, but the majority of flights took off and landed without a problem.

Sao Paulo’s Largo da Batata neighborhood was later the site of a huge march. Videos circulating Friday night on Twitter showed vast crowds.

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Largo da Batata minutos atrás - video do chapa Paulo Marquezini. 70 mil pessoas a caminho da casa de Temer pic.twitter.com/HhjGoS9BgG — Quero ser John Deacon (@danasbr) April 28, 2017

Sao Paulo Mayor Joao Doria, known for promoting himself as a hard worker, had repeatedly opposed the strike in recent days and echoed that opposition Friday.

“I wake up early and work. I’m not a striker who sleeps, is lazy and wakes up late,” he said in a radio interview. “With this type of confrontation, only the working, honest population loses.”

A congressional bill that would weaken labor laws passed this week in the lower house of Congress. Among the items on the bill, which will now be voted on in the Senate, are an end to paid overtime, the possibility of working under a temporary contract permanently, and the ability to lay off an entire staff and replace them with lower-salaried workers without any penalty to the company.

A controversial pension reform, which would set minimum retirement ages for men and women at 65 and 62, respectively, is also expected to be voted on next week.

Despite the government saying that the current pension system in Brazil is unsustainable and that it is dragging the economy down, Temer and members of Congress who have worked on the bill gave in to pressure from the public on certain items, including the minimum retirement age, which was initially 65 for both men and women.

“Today’s protest is to show that we reject the attitudes of the government, which, in my opinion, came to office in an illegitimate way and has since pushed sudden reforms and proposals that restrict the rights of Brazilian citizens,” said law student Lais Dumitrescu Dias as she headed to a protest in Sao Paulo. “Everyone has the right to retire with the guarantee [they will live] life with dignity after serving their country for so many years.”

Langlois is a special correspondent.

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Mexico is in love with a $5,000 hairless dog that often wins competitions — in the ugliest category</s>Brazilian protesters torched buses, clashed with police in several cities and marched on President Michel Temer’s Sao Paulo residence on Friday amid the nation’s first general strike in more than two decades.

Unions called the strike to voice anger over Temer’s efforts to push austerity measures through congress, bills that would weaken labor laws and trim a generous pension system.

The blackened hulls of at least eight burned commuter buses littered central Rio de Janeiro as police launched rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets at masked protesters.

Despite the protests, Temer and members of his centre-right government denounced the strike as a failure. They said that the unions’ targeting of public transport meant that people who wanted to go to work were unable to.

Unions said the strike was a success and pointed to adherence by millions of workers in key sectors like automakers, petroleum, schools and even banking. Strikes hit all 26 states and the Federal District.

“It is important for us to send a message to the government that the country is watching what they are doing, taking away workers’ rights,” said Marco Clemente, head of the 4,000-member radio and TV workers union in Brasilia, leading a picket line outside the headquarters of state broadcaster EBC.

Temer, who was in Brasilia, denounced the violence used by some protesters. He said in an emailed statement that “small groups” had blocked the population from using public transport and said that “work toward the modernization of national legislation will continue.”

Brazil’s last general strike took place in 1996, in protests over privatizations and labor reforms under former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Despite Friday’s action, many analysts said the strike would have little immediate impact on the president’s austerity push, and that the bills are still expected to pass given Temer’s continued support among lawmakers.

Temer’s reforms have deeply angered many Brazilians and he is weighed down by a 10 percent approval rating for his government.

He took over last year when former leader Dilma Rousseff, whom Temer served as vice president, was impeached for breaking budgetary rules. Her supporters denounced the act as a ‘coup’ orchestrated by Temer and his allies in a bid to derail a sweeping corruption investigation.

“This is not a government that was elected with these proposals,” said Bernard Costa, a 27-year-old medical student protesting in Sao Paulo. “These reforms are showing people that this government has is neither legitimate nor representative.”

“Shameless government” read one placard waved by one of a group of protesters who gathered outside Temer’s family home in Sao Paulo. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Nearly one-third of Temer’s ministers and several congressional leaders are under investigation in Brazil’s largest political graft scheme yet uncovered. It revolves around kickbacks from construction companies in return for winning lucrative projects at state-run oil company Petrobras .

Temer has proposed a minimum age for retirement, which would compel many employees to work longer to receive a pension and reduce payouts in a country were many workers retire with full benefits in their 50s.

The lower house of Congress approved a bill this week to weaken labor laws by relaxing restrictions on outsourcing and temporary contracts, further inflaming union resistance.

The government argues that economic reforms are needed to pull Brazil out of its worst recession on record, cut a huge budget deficit, reduce record unemployment and modernize the economy.

The strike had a large impact on auto production in Sao Paulo, which concentrates the bulk of the industry in Brazil.

General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG all halted production, according to company officials, unions and market analysts. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, the No. 1 car seller Brazil, said it was operating normally.

Union officials said most workers at state-run oil producer Petroleo Brasileiro SA, known as Petrobras, joined the strike, but the company said the stoppage had no significant impact on output. Iron ore miner Vale SA said the strike did not affect its operations.

The 24-hour strike started after midnight on Friday, ahead of a long weekend with Labor Day on Monday.

The benchmark Bovespa stock index was up nearly 1 percent while the nation’s currency, the real , was little changed as investors assessed the impact of the strike.</s>General strike in Brazil to protest changes to labor laws and pensions system

Public transport largely came to a halt across much of Brazil on Friday as protesters blocked roads and scuffled with police in a general strike to protest proposed changes to labor laws and the pension system. It is the first general strike in over two decades.

It is going to be the biggest strike in the history of Brazil, said Paulo Pereira da Silva, the president of trade union group, Forca Sindical.

President Michel Temer's administration argues that more flexible labor rules will revive a moribund economy and warns the pension system will go bankrupt without changes. Unions and other groups called for the strike, saying that the changes before Congress will make workers too vulnerable and strip away too many benefits.

Strikers are opposed to the pensions overhaul, which will be voted on in Congress next week and which could set the minimum retirement age at 65 for men and 62 for women. Public sector workers have been able to retire at much earlier ages.

A congressional bill to weaken labor laws also progressed earlier in the week, and the country is experiencing an ever unfolding corruption scandal, which has been linked to many top politicians, fuelling further public discontent.

In Sao Paulo, the country's largest city, most commuter trains and metro lines were stopped during the height of morning commute, and buses stayed off the roads. Later in the morning, several metro lines, trains and suburban buses began offering service. In Rio de Janeiro, buses ran partial service.

Protesters in both cities set up roadblocks, placing barricades and starting fires in the streets. In Sao Paulo, protesters carrying signs calling for Temer's ouster blocked lanes of major highways.

Police used tear gas to break up protesters blocking roads to Congonhas Airport, the smaller of Sao Paulo's two airports. A group of homeless people and activists blocked a road to the larger Guarulhos Airport. Both, however, were open.

Protesters at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro created confusion by running through the terminal and pushing down the line dividers at check-in counters. Also in Rio, protesters blocked a major road and scuffled with police who tried to dislodge them. Police fired tear gas, and protesters threw stones at buses in a nearby terminal.

There were also street barricades in Belo Horizonte and in the capital Brasilia where government offices and buildings were heavily guarded with militarized personnel.

Brazil's economy is in a deep recession, and many Brazilians are frustrated with Temer's government. Temer has argued that the proposed changes will benefit Brazilians in the long run. But with so many out of work, many feel they can ill afford any cuts to their benefits.</s>Brazil protesters, police clash in first general strike in decades

Brazilian protesters torched buses, clashed with police in several cities and marched on President Michel Temer's Sao Paulo residence on Friday amid the nation's first general strike in more than two decades, Reuters reported.

Unions called the strike to voice anger over Temer's efforts to push austerity measures through congress, bills that would weaken labor laws and trim a generous pension system.

The blackened hulls of at least eight burned commuter buses littered central Rio de Janeiro as police launched rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets at masked protesters.

Despite the protests, Temer and members of his center-right government denounced the strike as a failure. They said that the unions' targeting of public transport meant that people who wanted to go to work were unable to.

Unions said the strike was a success and pointed to adherence by millions of workers in key sectors like automakers, petroleum, schools and even banking. Strikes hit all 26 states and the Federal District.

"It is important for us to send a message to the government that the country is watching what they are doing, taking away workers' rights," said Marco Clemente, head of the 4,000-member radio and TV workers union in Brasilia, leading a picket line outside the headquarters of state broadcaster EBC.

Temer, who was in Brasilia, denounced the violence used by some protesters. He said in an emailed statement that "small groups" had blocked the population from using public transport and said that "work toward the modernization of national legislation will continue."

Brazil's last general strike took place in 1996, in protests over privatizations and labor reforms under former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.</s>SÃO PAULO -- A general strike in Brazil, called to protest proposed labor and pension changes, practically shut down mass transit in São Paulo, the country's biggest city, and disrupted transportation across Brazil Friday.

In São Paulo, the country's financial capital and industrial hub, many bus, metro and train lines weren't operating Friday morning, and major roads and arteries were blocked by protesters, according to city authorities. In Brasília, the capital, access to the city's international airport was also blocked by protesters, TV images showed.

Local news media reported that some flights have been canceled because of the strike, though the country's airport regulator declined to attribute the cancellations to the labor action.

The strike was called by some of Brazil's largest unions. Many businesses, banks and schools closed, and the Força Sindical union said some factories have also shut down.

Protesters are trying to stop the government of President Michel Temer from cutting back the country's generous pension system and from reducing some worker protections. Mr. Temer says both changes are needed to reignite the country's economy.

Over the past two years, Brazil has suffered through its worst economic recession on record, which has slashed tax revenue and made the proposed changes even more urgent, some economists say.

The pension proposal, which is currently still in a committee in the lower house of Congress, would close loopholes that for decades have allowed Brazilians to retire in their mid-50s with pensions as high as their latest salary. That situation has led to social-security costs eating up about half of the nation's budget.

Mr. Temer already faces resistance in Congress to the unpopular pension overhaul, and Friday's strike could make its passage even more difficult while forcing the administration to scale back an already watered-down proposal, according to Luciano Rostagno, Latin America strategist at Banco Mizuho, in São Paulo.

"The government might have to make even more concessions" to get it passed, he said. Some version of the plan is likely to be approved, but a weakened proposal might mean Brazil's next government will be forced to make further changes, Mr. Rostagno added.

The labor law proposal, which on Wednesday was approved in the lower house of Brazil's Congress and will now move on to the Senate, would overhaul some of the country's 1940s-era labor code as policy makers seek to kindle an economic recovery.

Included in the bill are proposals designed to reduce or scrap mandatory union dues, make it harder for workers to sue their employers, and expand the scope for flexible work arrangements and temporary employment contracts.

Write to Jeffrey T. Lewis at jeffrey.lewis@wsj.com and Luciana Magalhaes at Luciana.Magalhaes@wsj.com</s>Public transport has largely come to a halt across much of Brazil as protesters blocked roads and scuffled with police in a general strike to protest against proposed changes to labour laws and the pension system.

President Michel Temer's administration says more flexible labour rules will revive a moribund economy and warns the pension system will go bankrupt without changes.

Unions and other groups called for the strike, saying the changes before congress will make workers too vulnerable and strip away too many benefits.

In Sao Paulo, the country's largest city, only one metro line of six was working during the height of the morning rush hour, and all buses stayed off the roads. Two other metro lines began offering partial services later.

Protesters in both cities set up roadblocks. Police used tear gas to break up protesters blocking roads to Congonhas, the smaller of Sao Paulo's two airports. A group of homeless people and activists blocked a road to the larger Guarulhos Airport. Both were still open for flights.

"There was a blockade for about an hour, but it was removed," said Barbara Castro, a sociology professor who was flying to Lima, Peru, out of Guarulhos.

"They didn't stop the airport, but I hope that they stop the rest of the country," she said.

Protesters at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio created confusion by running through the terminal and pushing down the line dividers at check-in counters. Also in Rio, protesters scuffled with police as they blocked a major road.

Brazil's economy is in a deep recession, and many Brazilians are frustrated with Mr Temer's government. He has argued that the proposed changes will benefit Brazilians in the long run, but with so many out of work, many feel they can ill afford any cuts to benefits.

Underscoring the economic malaise, the IBGE statistics agency announced on Friday that unemployment had jumped to 13.7% in the first quarter of the year, up from 12%.

"Here in Brazil (the politicians) are robbing the workers' rights with these pension and labour reforms," said union leader Reginal de Souza. "We are here to say this is enough and that we are against all this nonsense that the government ... is doing to the workers and to all the Brazilian people."</s>Millions of workers are striking in Brazil against reforms set to weaken labour and pension laws pushed by the conservative government of Michel Temer, who replaced Dilma Rousseff as Brazil's president a year ago after a controversial impeachment process.

Public transportation has been partially shut down in most state capitals, including the country's largest, São Paulo. Bankers, oil industry workers, teachers and civil servants are among the main laborers that stopped working for 24 hours, starting midnight, Friday, April 28. They are led by social movement activists and trade union organizers, who are also staging public demonstrations.

Unlike the protests that have repeatedly occurred in Brazil over the past three years, these demonstrations are also taking place in smaller towns and the big cities’ poorer suburbs. Protesters have blocked some of the country's major interstate roads, bridges, airports and bus terminals since the early hours of the morning. Many people have reported that the day feels like a Sunday or a holiday.

The last time Brazil witnessed a general strike of comparable proportions was in 1996 when Brazil was governed by another pro-austerity president. On Twitter, the hashtags #GreveGeral #BrasilEmGreve trended all day on Friday.

Last week, Brazil's Chamber of Deputies approved labour reforms that would increase the workweek from 44 to 48 hours, water-down penalties for companies that fire employees, and make it more difficult for workers to sue their former employers.

The bill is part of a series of reforms hastily pushed by Temer, who enjoys a substantial legislative majority, as well as support from Brazil's business sector, despite his own sinking political popularity. A poll by Ipsos released last week puts his approval rating at a measly 4 percent. Other bills passed into law in the past year include a freeze on increases in public spending and legislation that lifts restrictions on outsourcing. In the coming weeks, the Congress is also expected to vote on major pension reforms.

The government says the reforms are necessary to counter Brazil's massive public deficit and were first announced in late 2015 by the centrist political party PMDB in a document titled “Bridge to the Future.” The plan was released shortly before the party ended its 12-year-old alliance with the Worker's Party — a crucial break that allowed Congress to impeach Dilma Rousseff easily in April 2016. Rousseff was elected with 54 percent of the votes in October 2014 with a very different platform, raising questions about the legitimacy of the government's new reforms.

An ever-unfolding corruption scandal, with new pleas in the past weeks implicating major party leaders and Temer himself, has also increased public discontent and puts the country in a state of uncertainty until the 2018 general elections. Temer himself will likely be prohibited from running in the elections, as he was convicted of violating electoral laws in 2014, leading critics to point out that he is now virtually unaccountable to future voters, as he pushes largely unpopular state policies.

Many are not in favour of the general strike today. Conservative groups like Movimento Brasil Livre and Vem pra Rua, which were at the forefront of the pro-impeachment protests in 2015 and 2016 and support the austerity reforms, say the protests are merely a political platform for the Worker's Party. Both have started campaigns on social media calling on people to cross picket lines and go to work, while the Free Brazil Movement, which generally favors more aggressive rhetoric, has branded protestors “terrorists.”

Police have dispersed some crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets, leaving other large demonstration groups untouched. In São Paulo, police detained 16 activists from Brazil's Homeless Workers’ Movement, which advocates social housing and is arguably Brazil's largest social movement today, reportedly charging them with “criminal association.”

In Rio de Janeiro, police dispersed a large crowd of protesters in the early evening.

While most demonstrations so far have been scattered, the largest gathering is happened on Friday evening in downtown São Paulo and protesters marched towards Michel Temer's house nearby.

Smaller demonstrations in support of Brazil's protesters also took place in some European capitals, including Berlin.</s>Public transport largely came to a halt across much of Brazil o... . Demonstrators march during a general strike in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, April 28, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at WBOC-TV Salisbury.</s>SÃO PAULO -- A general strike in Brazil on Friday, called to protest proposed labor and pension changes, has disrupted public transportation around the country and some analysts say it could force the government to weaken the proposed reforms.

In São Paulo, the country's financial capital and industrial hub, many bus, metro and train lines weren't operating Friday morning, and major roads and arteries were blocked by protesters, according to city authorities.

In Brasília, the capital, access to the city's international airport was also blocked by protesters, TV images showed. Local news media reported public transportation systems were affected in cities across Brazil, from Florianopolis in the south to Fortaleza in the northeast.

Protesters are trying to stop President Michel Temer from cutting back the country's generous pension system and from reducing some worker protections. Mr. Temer says both changes are needed to reignite the country's economy.

Over the past two years, Brazil has suffered through its worst economic recession on record, which has slashed tax revenue and made the proposed changes even more urgent, some economists say.

The pension proposal, which is currently still in a committee in the lower house of Congress, would close loopholes that for decades have allowed Brazilians to retire in their mid-50s with pensions as high as their latest salary. That situation has led to social-security costs eating up about half of the nation's budget.

Mr. Temer already faces resistance in Congress to the unpopular pension overhaul, and Friday's strike could make its passage even more difficult while forcing the administration to scale back an already watered-down proposal,

"I never thought the government would be able to approve the kind of reform (Mr. Temer) really wanted, but the question now is just how many more concessions he'll have to make" to get the proposal through Congress, said Carlos Melo, a political-science professor at the Insper business school in São Paulo.

Mr. Melo said it is difficult to say how many people stayed home Friday because they support the strike, and how many just had no way to get to work or decided to avoid the added hassles.

Daniel Cruz da Silva, a 25-year-old who works in an office near São Paulo's emblematic Paulista Avenue, said he stayed home because his 18-kilometer (11-mile) trip to work was impossible due to the transportation "chaos." Mr. da Silva, who said he supports the strike because workers need to protect themselves, nevertheless criticized unions for looking out more for their own interests than for union members'.

The labor law proposal, which Wednesday was approved in the lower house of Brazil's Congress and will now move to the Senate, would overhaul some of the country's 1940s-era labor code.

Included in the bill are proposals designed to reduce or scrap mandatory union dues, make it harder for workers to sue their employers, and expand the scope for flexible work arrangements and temporary employment contracts.

The strike was called by some of Brazil's largest unions. Many businesses, banks and schools closed, and the Força Sindical union said factories have also shut down. The strike is necessary to force the government to negotiate changes to workers' rights and to the pension system, said Paulo Pereira da Silva, president of Força Sindical.

"Brazil showed today its unhappiness with the reforms," said Mr. da Silva. "If there's no dialogue with the government, there will be more stoppages."

Write to Jeffrey T. Lewis at jeffrey.lewis@wsj.com and Luciana Magalhaes at Luciana.Magalhaes@wsj.com</s>Brazilian unions called nationwide strikes on Friday to protest President Michel Temer’s efforts to reduce social security benefits and weaken labor laws, with disruption expected to road and rail transport, factories and schools. Many workers were expected to heed the strike call, due in part to anger about reforms that will force many Brazilians to work for years longer before drawing a pension, but also because the strike will extend a holiday weekend ahead of Labor Day on Monday.

If successful, the protest would mark Brazil’s first general strike in more than two decades.

In Brasilia, the capital, authorities boarded up windows of government buildings on Thursday amid fears that protests could result in violent clashes between demonstrators and police.

Demonstrations were scheduled in other major cities across the Latin American nation of more than 200 million people.

“It is going to be the biggest strike in the history of Brazil,” said Paulo Pereira da Silva, the president of trade union group Forca Sindical.

Violent protests have occurred repeatedly during the past four years amid political turmoil, Brazil’s worst recession on record, and unprecedented corruption investigations that revealed stunning levels of systematic graft among politicians.

Nearly a third of Temer’s cabinet and key congressional allies came under investigation in the scandal this month, worsening his dismal approval ratings since taking office last year after the impeachment of ex-President Dilma Rousseff.

Rousseff’s Workers Party grew out of the labor movement, and her allies have called her removal for breaking budget rules an illegitimate “coup,” contributing to political polarization in Brazil and hardline union resistance to Temer’s agenda.

Vagner Freitas, the national president of the Central Workers Union (CUT), Brazil’s biggest labor confederation, said the government’s reforms “leave no room to negotiate.”

“Temer does not even want to negotiate, he just wants to meet the demands of the businessmen who financed the ‘coup’ precisely to end social security and legalize the exploitation of workers,” Freitas said in a statement.

A spokesman for Temer rejected the union criticism, saying the government was working to undo the economic damage wrought under the previous Workers Party government, which had the backing of the CUT.

“The inheritance of that was 13 million unemployed. The government is carrying out reforms to change this situation, to create jobs and economic growth,” said spokesman Marcio de Freitas.

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A general strike is held in Brazil, the first one in twenty years.