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
The Puerto Rico Senate has approved a bill (Senate Bill 1524) that would reverse some vacation and sick leave provisions relating to private sector employees adopted under the controversial “Labor Transformation and...more
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
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
The Puerto Rico Secretary of Labor and Human Resources, Hon. Briseida Torres-Reyes, has issued Opinion No. 2020-02 on the applicable legal provisions related to exempt and non-exempt employees of the private sector as a...more
3/26/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave Act ,
Puerto Rico ,
Quarantine ,
Remote Working ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Sick Leave ,
Telecommuting ,
Travel Restrictions
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 Secretary of Labor and Human Resources, Hon. Briseida Torres-Reyes, has issued Opinion No. 2020-01 on the applicable legal provisions and measures related to the employer-employee relationship in light of the...more
3/22/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
OSHA ,
Puerto Rico ,
Relief Measures ,
Secretary of Labor ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Workplace Safety
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
On May 8, 2019, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (hereinafter, “PR-DOL”) issued the first edition of the “Guidelines for the Interpretation of Puerto Rico’s Employment Legislation” (hereinafter, the...more
Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight and Management Board and Governor Ricardo Rosselló have sent bills to the Puerto Rico legislature to repeal the Unjust Dismissal Act, Act No. 80 of May 30, 1976 (Act 80). If either bill is...more
Just one year after substantial changes to Puerto Rico employment laws became effective, the Governor has enacted two new sick leave laws. One shields employees from adverse consequences from sick leave use. The other creates...more
Employers in Puerto Rico must comply with updated regulations on the payment of the generally required annual bonus to eligible employees. The Puerto Rico Department of Labor (DOL) updated the regulations, effective October...more
The passage of Hurricane María through Puerto Rico in September 2017 left catastrophic damages. In an effort to encourage employer assistance and provide temporary economic relief to employees in Puerto Rico, local government...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
A litigation trap that can ensnare unwary employers who may be sued in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a piece of employment legislation that allows expedited proceedings: Law No. 2 of October 17, 1961 (“Law No. 2”), as...more
The U.S. Senate has approved the controversial “Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act” (“PROMESA”), H.R. 5278, which will establish an Oversight Board to assist the Government of Puerto Rico in...more
On the same day the U.S. Department of Labor released its Final Rule updating regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) governing overtime exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees...more