BY ALFONSO CHARDY

 Businesses shut down today and workers stayed home from work to honor a "general strike" called to protest the forced removal of Elian Gonzalez from Miami.

 Businesses and local governments expected thousands of employees to participate.

 Sedano's Supermarkets closed its 25 stores and Publix Supermarkets closed seven of its 50 Miami-Dade County stores. Hundreds of other smaller businesses, most owned by Cuban Americans, were also expected to remain closed today, including the landmark Hialeah 24-hour Chico's Restaurant.

 Six people associated with the Florida Marlins team, including three active players, are sitting out tonight's game against the San Francisco Giants. Starting third baseman Mike Lowell, pitchers Alex Fernandez and Vladimir Nuñez; injured pitcher Michael Tejera; third base coach Fredi Gonzalez and Hall of Famer Tony Perez, a team executive, won't be at Pro Player Stadium. The Marlins announced they also will close their ticket office in Little Havana.

 Public schools and local governments said they would conduct business as usual, but they prepared to bring in substitute workers to replace hundreds of employees who had already indicated they would honor the general strike call.

 Most businesses outside the exile community plan to remain open, but expect significant employee absences. Public schools, hospitals, hotels, federal agencies and all transit and emergency services expect to operate normally -- though they anticipate far less activity than usual.

 Emergency and ''vital'' banking services are exempted from the strike, organizers said. Banks are expected to be open.

 The stoppage is the first major organized exile response to the federal raid in which Elian was taken -- an action that set off street disturbances throughout Saturday. At least three more street protests -- at West 49th Street and 12th Avenue in Hialeah, at Flagler Street and 57th Avenue, and at Southwest 40th Street and 87th Avenue -- involved hundreds of people Monday night.

 After some rock throwing started at the Hialeah protest, police in riot gear cleared the area by firing tear gas about 12:30 a.m. today. At the Flagler protest, rock throwers ran away when police arrived after midnight.

 Executives at most major businesses seemed willing to accommodate employees who plan to observe the work stoppage. Major employers said workers will be allowed to take vacation or leave time to observe the strike.

 ''Publix does not take a position on this issue, but we have told all the managers to tell all the associates who wish not to come to work that we will respect their decision,'' Publix spokeswoman Carmen Millares said. The Publix stores that are closed are at 8341 W. Flagler St., 8680 SW 24th St., 3801 W. Flagler St., 2270 SW 27th Ave., 630 W. 49th St., 2414 W. 60th St. and 155 E. 2nd Ave.

 Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas said the stoppage will signal the deep anger and pain of the exile community. ''People are responding to a very violent and unjust action with a peaceful expression of their emotions,'' Penelas said. The mayor postponed a scheduled trip to Tallahassee to monitor the stoppage.

 Six Miami-Dade County commissioners said they will not attend today's commission meeting, making it unlikely the meeting will be held. The 13-member commission cannot conduct business unless a majority of its members is present. Commissioners Javier Souto, Pedro Reboredo, Miriam Alonso, Bruno Barreiro, Jimmy Morales and Miguel Diaz de la Portilla said they will observe the stoppage.

 ''It is more like a day of mourning, because the human rights have been suppressed, not only of one kid, but of the whole community, Reboredo said. ''The community has been slapped in the face.''

 The Hialeah City Council planned to meet, but quickly adjourn in observance of the stoppage, council President Alex Morales said.

 PRESS CONFERENCE

 Cuban-American lawmakers in Tallahassee talked about skipping today's session to observe the stoppage, but after a conversation with House Speaker John Thrasher decided to hold a press conference instead. Thrasher and Gov. Jeb Bush will stand with the Cuban-American legislators.

 ''The more I think about it the more dismayed I am,'' Bush said of Elian's seizure. ''It was inappropriate and unnecessary.''

 Leaders of 21 Cuban-American organizations called for the stoppage over the weekend, asking fellow exiles to show grief and outrage by staying home and away from any work or entertainment from 6 a.m. to midnight.

 ''The idea is to turn Miami and Greater Miami into a dead city,'' said Armando Perez Roura, a veteran radio commentator and leader of Cuban Unity, one of the organizations that signed a manifesto Saturday calling for the strike.

 Major businesses and municipalities say they will accommodate employees who request vacation or sick days as long as their absence does not interfere with essential operations -- a policy followed by Miami-Dade, Miami and other municipalities.

 Pedro Freyre, chairman of the exile group Facts About Cuban Exiles, urged business owners to allow nonessential employees to stay home ''as an act of lawful and silent protest.

 BIG AND SMALL

 Virtually all big and small exile-owned businesses planned to close.

 The corporate offices of El Dorado Furniture, one of the biggest furniture store chains in South Florida, said all seven stores would close.

 MasTec, Inc., the Miami company that lays telephone and fiber optic cables and is majority-owned by the family of Jorge Mas, chairman of the Cuban American National Foundation, will close some offices as well.

 Also closed: some of Miami-Dade's largest exile-owned home builders and building supply firms including Caribe Group Corp., Century Builders Group, Century Plumbing and Century Everglades Lumber.

 Exile leaders urged fellow Cuban Americans not to intimidate people who decide to disregard the strike and go to work.

 MORE PATROLS

 Police officials said they plan increased patrols to make sure that people who go to work are not harassed.

 Miami city officials activated three rumor control hot lines: 305-579-6184, 305-579-6185 and 305-579-6186.

 The City of Miami and Miami-Dade government, some of the biggest employers in the county, said they will allow nonessential employees to take the day off as long as they use vacation time or personal leave and clear it with supervisors. Essential county services are expected to remain operational.

 Manny Palmeiro, a Miami-Dade Transit spokesman, said the agency would operate Metrorail and Metrobus services normally but that backup personnel will be on call in case some bus and train operators stay home.

 SCHOOLS OPEN

 Deputy Superintendent of Schools Henry Fraind said Dade County public schools would be open but that administrators would have backup personnel ready in case some teachers, cafeteria workers or bus drivers don't show up.

 Carol Cortes, an official in the office of Superintendent Roger C. Cuevas, said the school system expects all bus runs to be covered. But she added that if a bus doesn't show up, parents can call 305-234-3365 to ask about alternate arrangements. Private school bus service is more likely to be disrupted since many of the vehicles are owned or operated by Cuban Americans.

 Officials at several public schools said they expected many students and workers to stay home.

 The last time there was a major exile work stoppage was on May 17, 1995, when many businesses in Miami and Hialeah -- cities with large exile populations -- closed while businesses in other parts of the county remained open.

 The 1995 stoppage, a half-day strike, was called to protest a change in U.S. immigration policy under which the U.S. Coast Guard was allowed to intercept Cuban rafters at sea and -- in most cases -- promptly return them to Cuba.

 On that day, thousands of Cuban Americans left their jobs and marched through the heart of Little Havana to show their opposition to the change.

 Exile leaders emphasized that today's stoppage is not an opportunity to demonstrate in the streets.

 ''It's a day to stay home to show the pain of the exile community against the shameful act of Saturday in which Elian was forcibly taken,'' said Juan Perez-Franco, newly reelected leader of the Brigade 2506 organization.

 The time to demonstrate will be Saturday. Exile leaders are preparing a major protest march Saturday afternoon along a route to be announced later.

 Herald staff writers Barbara de Lollis, Meg Laughlin, Ina Paiva Cordle, Mireidy Fernandez, Mike Phillips, Don Finefrock, Jane Bussey, Mimi Whitefield, Lesley Clark, Sandra Marquez Garcia, Eunice Ponce, Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo, Sonji Jacobs, Anabelle de Gale, Mireidy Fernandez, Marika Lynch and Online News Reporter Madeline Baro Diaz contributed to this report.