Newly released guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) addressed questions related to COVID-19 and the Americans Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act and other equal employment opportunity laws, which include the requirement for reasonable accommodation and non-discrimination based on disability, and rules about employer medical examinations and inquiries. In general terms, the … Continued

On April 9, 2020, Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced signed the H.B. 2428 into law as part of the Government’s response to the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) emergency. Law No. 37-2020 amends the Puerto Rico Minimum Salary, Vacations and Sick Leave Act (Law No. 180-1998) to provide a special emergency paid leave to eligible employees whenever a state … Continued

Yesterday, March 26th, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued additional guidance by way Questions & Answers and stating the DOL’s position with regards to an employer’s obligation to comply with the paid leave requirements set forth in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (hereinafter, the “FFCRA”), specifically paid medical leave under the Emergency Family and … Continued

As explained in our prior Newsletter, on March 18th President Donald J. Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (hereinafter, the “FFCRA”) that applies to private employers with less than 500 employees. On March 25th, the Department of Labor published the poster or notice that must be displayed by employers at their premises, as … Continued

President Trump signed Bill H.R. 6201 into law on March 18th, 2020 as part of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) emergency. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (hereinafter, the “FFCRA”) will take effect no later than fifteen (15) days after its enactment and will remain in effect through December 31, 2020. As … Continued

Earlier this month, on January 3, 2020, the Governor of Puerto Rico signed Act No. 9-2020, known as the “Working Women’s Bill of Rights Act” (“the Act”). In general terms, the Act proposes to serve as a tool to educate working women about the different labor and employment laws enacted throughout the years in order … Continued

On October 8, 2019, the Governor of Puerto Rico signed Act No. 150-2019, known as the “Act to Protect Employee’s Credit Information” (“the Act”). In general terms, the Act states that an employer or potential employer cannot: terminate, deny benefits, affect an employee’s compensation, refuse to hire, promote or discriminate against an employee or job … Continued

On August 1, 2019, several days after having announced his resignation as Governor of Puerto Rico but one day prior to its effectiveness, outgoing Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares signed Act No. 83-2019 (“Act 83” or “the Act”), which creates a special leave for employees dealing with domestic or gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual harassment in … Continued

Earlier this month (May 8, 2019), the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (“PR-DOL”) issued the first comprehensive “Guidelines for the Interpretation of Puerto Rico’s Employment Legislation” (hereinafter, the “Guidelines”) in an effort to compile in a single publication the PR-DOL’s longstanding interpretations of Puerto Rico’s employment statutes and regulations … Continued

On January 26, 2017, the Governor of Puerto Rico approved Act No. 4-2017, known as the Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act (“the Act”). Key aspects and provisions of the Act were outlined in our Client Newsletter dated January 26, 2017. As an attempt to strike a balance in keeping with the legislative intent, while protecting … Continued