Under the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (known as the Closing Loopholes Act), as of January 1, 2025, intentional underpayment of employees’ wages and certain benefits will be a criminal offense, with a maximum of 10 years’...more
A new law in Puerto Rico provides several pay and anti-discrimination protections for athletes on account of their pregnancies. A separate sports-related employment law extends leave protections for eligible athletes, coaches...more
10/9/2023
/ Athletes ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Puerto Rico ,
Sports ,
Wage and Hour
On August 8, 2023, Puerto Rico’s government enacted Act No. 88-2023, known as the “Puerto Rican Military Code of the 21st Century” (“Military Code”). This new law supersedes the previously enacted Military Code of Puerto Rico...more
Pursuant to the recently enacted Act No. 82 of August 8, 2023, employers in Puerto Rico must consider an informal caregiver’s request for a work-schedule change without meeting some of the threshold requirements required by...more
On June 20, 2022, Governor Pedro Pierluisi signed into law Act No. 41-2022, instituting drastic changes to labor and employment laws in Puerto Rico and extending employment rights for employees in the private sector. In doing...more
6/22/2022
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Bonuses ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employment Contract ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Puerto Rico ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Wage and Hour
On March 14, 2020, new Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources Regulations to administer the Equal Pay Program will come into effect. The Regulations were enacted pursuant to Act. No. 16 of March 8, 2017, as...more
3/10/2020
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Regulations ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Puerto Rico ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
Act No. 83 of August 1, 2019, (Act 83) provides up to 15 days of unpaid leave, and/or reasonable accommodation, for employees who are themselves victims of abusive situations, or have a close family member who is. ...more
An Employee’s Felony Indictment Constitutes Just Cause for Termination -
Precedential Decision by Judiciary or Regulatory Agency -
On April 25, 2019, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court held that a felony indictment...more
7/17/2019
/ Caregivers ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Felonies ,
Gender Identity ,
Hiring & Firing ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Regulations ,
Puerto Rico ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour
As we have previously discussed, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PR DOL) recently published the first edition of its Guidelines on the Interpretation of Puerto Rico’s Employment Legislation (Guidelines), which includes...more
As we have previously discussed, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PR DOL) has recently published the first edition of its Guidelines on the Interpretation of Puerto Rico’s Employment Legislation (Guidelines), which...more
6/5/2019
/ Bonuses ,
Day of Rest Laws ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Contract ,
Holiday Pay ,
Over-Time ,
Puerto Rico ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Severance Pay ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Vacation Leave ,
Wage and Hour
On December 6, 2017, the Puerto Rico Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources (“Secretary”) published the proposed Regulation to Administer Act No. 379 of May 15, 1948, as amended, known as Puerto Rico’s...more
On November 10, 2017, Puerto Rico's Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources (“Secretary”) issued Opinion No. 2017-002 (“Opinion”) addressing allowable deductions from non-exempt employees’ pay following...more
The Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (“PR DOL”) has issued a new regulation, effective October 18, 2017, to administer Puerto Rico’s Christmas Bonus Law, Act. No. 148 of June 30, 1969. The...more
On October 17, 2017, the Puerto Rico Secretary of Labor and Human Resources (Secretary) issued Opinion No. 2017-001 (Opinion) regarding the compensation of exempt and non-exempt private sector employees for workdays...more
10/18/2017
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Disaster Aid ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Hurricane Irma ,
Hurricane Maria ,
Loss of Income ,
Natural Disasters ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Puerto Rico ,
Wage and Hour
On January 26, 2017, the Governor of Puerto Rico approved the Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act (“the Act"). The Act makes substantial changes to virtually all existing Puerto Rico employment laws, including those...more
1/26/2017
/ Bonuses ,
Conflicts of Laws ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
HSA ,
Independent Contractors ,
Maternity Leave ,
Over-Time ,
Puerto Rico ,
Qualified Benefit Plans ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Severance Pay ,
Sick Leave ,
Unemployment ,
Vacation Pay ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim