On February 3, 2021, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PR DOL) published the “Guidelines on Workplace Harassment in Puerto Rico’s Private Sector” (Guidelines). The Guidelines were drafted pursuant to the mandate in Section...more
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources issued guidance that specifically allows employers to take an employee’s body temperature provided they secure the...more
All governmental agencies, public corporations, municipalities and private employers in Puerto Rico with two or more employees are required to publish a poster in compliance with Law No. 9-2020, known as the Working Women’s...more
Employers in Puerto Rico Precluded from Using Credit Reports or Credit History for Employment Actions -
New Legislation Enacted -
On October 8, 2019, the Governor of Puerto Rico signed into law Act No. 150 of October 8,...more
On January 3, 2020, Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez signed Law No. 9-2020 (“Act 9” or “the Act”), known as the Working Women’s Bill of Rights. While the Act expressly states that it was enacted for informational purposes...more
1/20/2020
/ Breastfeeding ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Labor Regulations ,
Maternity Leave ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Gap ,
Posting Requirements ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Puerto Rico ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Statutory Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
On October 8, 2019, the Governor of Puerto Rico signed into law Act No. 150 of October 8, 2019 (“Act 150” or “the Act”), which prohibits employers from, among other actions, verifying or investigating credit history or credit...more
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
On August 1, 2019, just a day prior to his resignation as Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló signed into law Act No. 83 of August 1, 2019 (“Act 83” or “the Act”), a very detailed leave statute applicable to public and...more
8/9/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employee Rights ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
Puerto Rico ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Stalking ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave
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) 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 May 8, 2019, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (“PR DOL” or “the Agency”) published the first edition of its Guidelines on the Interpretation of Puerto Rico’s Employment Legislation....more
The Governor of Puerto Rico recently signed into law Act No. 115, extending the list of authorized payroll deductions under Act 17-1931 (“Act 17”). As a general rule, deductions from non-exempt employees’ wages in Puerto Rico...more
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
On October 24, 2017, Puerto Rico's Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources issued an Administrative Order granting an automatic extension for all employers required to file a Quarterly Unemployment and...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 August 10, 2017, the Puerto Rico Secretary of Labor and Human Resources issued and made effective the Uniform Guidelines for the Self-Assessment of Equal Pay in the Workplace (“the Guidelines”). These Guidelines were...more
Earlier this year, the Governor of Puerto Rico signed into law the Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act (“the Act”). While the Act makes substantial changes to virtually all existing Puerto Rico employment laws, it also...more
On May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, announced the final changes to the regulations that govern the “white collar” overtime exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). It remains to...more
5/20/2016
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Management ,
Minimum Salary ,
Over-Time ,
Puerto Rico ,
Puerto Rico Oversight Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions