The Puerto Rico Senate has approved unanimously Senate Bill No. 1577 (SB 1577), which seeks to amend Section 9 of Puerto Rico Act No. 44 of July 2, 1985, known as the “Law Prohibiting Discrimination Against Disabled Persons,”...more
Without requiring employers to make any changes to their relevant, existing workplace policy, on March 18, 2020, the Puerto Rico State Insurance Fund extended coverage to those employees who were sent to work from home due to...more
On May 1, the Governor of Puerto Rico issued Executive Order 2020-038 (the Order) effectively extending the existing lockdown order but expanding the scope of services and businesses exempt from limitations on business...more
Employers in Puerto Rico must provide a model notice to employees in the event of a layoff or reduction in working hours. The Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources, Briseida Torres-Reyes, issued...more
Puerto Rico’s Law 37-2020 provides certain employees up to five days of paid leave once they exhaust other paid leave.
Law 37-2020 amends Puerto Rico Law 180-1998, which establishes paid sick and vacation leave benefits...more
In the wake of the Coronavirus/COVID-19, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (Secretary) announced today the availability of additional unemployment benefits in Puerto Rico for eligible employees, as well as...more
Following declaration of a state of emergency by Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on March 16, 2020, the Puerto Rico Senate has approved a bill addressing sick leave for private...more
On March 18, 2020, the Puerto Rico State Insurance Fund Corporation (PR-SIF) adopted additional measures for the benefit of employers in Puerto Rico due to the emergency caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The PR-SIF...more
The Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce has issued a clarification on the mandatory lockdown of non-essential commerce in response to employer appeals.
On the night of March 17, the Secretary of the...more
The Puerto Rico Senate has revised House Bill 2428 to replace the provision of 20 days of unpaid emergency leave due to diagnosis of a pandemic illness with five days of paid emergency leave.
HB 2428 seeks to amend Puerto...more
Amid the global spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez-Garced has issued Executive Order 2020-023, ordering a drastic lockdown of non-essential commerce and mandatory round-the-clock curfews...more
Under the Puerto Rico Working Women’s Bill of Rights Act, Law No. 9-2020 (Act 9), employers with at least two employees must post the Bill of Rights in a place accessible to all employees and visitors. The Puerto Rico...more
Following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the World Health Organization’s declaration of a pandemic, on March 12, 2020, the Puerto Rico House of Representatives approved House Bill 2428 to establish a new...more
Puerto Rico has enacted legislation to limit the use of credit reports in making employment decisions.
An “Act to Protect Employee’s Credit Information” (PR Act. No. 150 of October 8, 2019) prohibits employers from...more
Employees in Puerto Rico may take up to 15 days of unpaid leave each calendar year to address situations related to domestic or gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual harassment in employment, sexual assault, lewd acts,...more
The Employment Law Reform enacted earlier this year in Puerto Rico introduced a local requirement to accommodate an employee’s observance of religious practices or beliefs. The law directed the Secretary of the Puerto Rico...more
Under a new government administration, Puerto Rico employment laws will undergo the most significant transformation in decades with the expected enactment of the “Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act.”
In an...more