According to Puerto Rico Secretary of Labor Gabriel Maldonado, neither the Constitution of Puerto Rico nor Puerto Rico Act 379 imposes any limitations on employers requiring overtime work of employees beyond paying a specific...more
Puerto Rico’s minimum wage will increase to $10.50 per hour from $9.50 per hour effective July 1, 2024. This increase was finally approved by the Minimum Wage Review Commission on June 13, 2024. With limited exceptions, the...more
The “Law to Facilitate the Implementation of Remote Work in the Private Sector and to Incentivize the Establishment of Airline Home Bases in Puerto Rico” regulates the employment relation of employees who work remotely from...more
When the Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Act, Act No. 47-2021, went into effect, in addition to the three hourly rate increases set out in the law, a new Minimum Wage Review Board appointed by the governor was to periodically review...more
Puerto Rico’s second automatic increase in the minimum wage is July 1, 2023, from $8.50 per hour to $9.50 per hour.
With limited exceptions, this increase will apply to all non-exempt employees covered by the Fair Labor...more
The struggle to provide certainty on employment issues to the private sector in Puerto Rico is not over. The Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives is seeking an injunction to stay the district court decision...more
Less than a year after its enactment, a federal district court has declared null and void Puerto Rico Act 41-2022, a law that rolled back parts of the 2017 employment law reform. Financial Oversight and Management Board for...more
The Puerto Rico Fair Internships Act, Act No. 114-2022 (Act 114), seeks to protect students and recent graduates by guaranteeing paid internships and establishing other legal rights for interns....more
The Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PRDOL) has published the anticipated Model Protocol to Prevent and Manage Cases of Sexual Harassment in Employment....more
Puerto Rico’s disability discrimination statute (Law 44-1985), the local counterpart of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has been amended to extend coverage to registered and authorized medical cannabis patients....more
Puerto Rico has amended its sexual harassment law to expand coverage to interns and to require employers to adopt a protocol to investigate sexual harassment allegations....more
On September 1, 2022, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (“Oversight Board”) – an entity created by Congress to supervise the finances of the government of Puerto Rico and restructure its public debt...more
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi has signed into law changes reversing portions of the 2017 employment reform law. House Bill 1244 (HB 1244) rolls back and changes the statutory probationary period, vacation and sick...more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has confirmed that continued employment may be valid consent to mandatory employment arbitration agreements in a matter of first impression. Aponte et al. v. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, LLC, CC...more
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi has expanded mandatory COVID-19 vaccination to additional private industries effective August 30, 2021.
Private Industries Covered-
Under Executive Order 2021-064 (EO), all...more
Puerto Rico has made COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for additional industries after Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi extended vaccination requirements for employees in the health and hospitality sectors beginning August 16, 2021....more
The Puerto Rico Department of Labor issued guidelines and a sample protocol early in 2021 for employers on Puerto Rico’s prohibition against workplace bullying, Act 90-2020. Employers have until August 2, 2021, to adopt,...more
Registered and authorized patients of medical cannabis in Puerto Rico are considered a protected category for purposes of all employment laws under an amendment to the “Act to Manage the Study, Development and Investigation...more
The days may be numbered for Puerto Rico’s 2017 employment reform law. Legislators in the House of Representatives have approved a bill that would repeal or modify parts of the current law.
Shortly after being sworn in,...more
The Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PRDOL) has issued Guidelines and a sample protocol for employers to follow in complying with Puerto Rico’s prohibition against workplace bullying, Act 90-2020.
Employers have until...more
Additional measures adopted by the Puerto Rico Department of Health to manage the COVID-19 pandemic include administrative fines for noncompliance.
Regulation No. 9210 applies to natural persons (visitors and residents),...more
Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez has signed Executive Order 2020-062 (EO) to extend most of the prior COVID-19 pandemic limitations and restrictions, institute important additional restrictions, set a mandatory Sunday...more
On August 8, 2020, Wanda Vázquez Garced signed into law an amendment to the Puerto Rico Working Mothers Act. Under the amendment, adoption leave benefits were extended to female employees adopting minors 6 years old or older....more
In an unprecedented move and without taking into consideration the mass opposition from the private sector, on August 7, 2020, the Governor of Puerto Rico signed into law House Bill 306 to prohibit workplace bullying. This...more
Puerto Rico may become the first jurisdiction to adopt law against workplace bullying.
The Puerto Rico Legislature has considered bills on anti-bullying requirements in the workplace over the last decade. None of these...more