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
On January 27, 2018, Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares signed into law Act No. 60-2018, to amend Article 6 of Act No. 180-1998, better known as the “Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation, and Sick Leave Act.” This recent amendment to Act 180 seeks to prohibit employers in the private-sector from considering employees’ justified sick leave absences … Continued
Puerto Rico is still trying to recover from the brutal passage of Hurricane Maria one (1) month ago. As a result of the devastation and lack of power and running water, private employers have temporarily ceased operations and others have by now resumed operations albeit on limited schedules and/or with a partial staff. In any … Continued
On May 3, 2017, the FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT AND MANAGEMENT BOARD FOR PUERTO RICO (the “Oversight Board”) filed a petition requesting the protection of Title III of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (“PROMESA”) for the GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO (the “Petition”). More so, on May 5, 2017, the Oversight Board filed a … Continued
The Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (“Labor Department”) released regulations pertaining to an employer’s obligations and duties upon being notified by an employee or candidate for employment of a request to reasonably accommodate religious practices under the Workplace Flexibility Transformation Act, Act No. 4 of January 26, 2017 (“WFTA”)1. Relevant to these … Continued
On February 28, 2017, the Government of Puerto Rico presented to the Financial Oversight and Management Board or Puerto Rico (“Oversight Board”) a proposed Fiscal Plan for Puerto Rico (the “Proposed Plan”). The Proposed Plan indicates that it seeks to achieve fiscal solvency and long term economic growth. To achieve its objectives, the Proposed Plan … Continued
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that the maximum amount of wages in 2017 subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax (old age, survivor, and disability insurance) will rise from $118,500 to $127,200, an increase of more than 7%. Thus, the maximum OASDI (Social Security) tax payable by an employer in 2017 would be $7,886.40. … Continued
