Articles About Puerto Rico Labor And Employment Law

On December 31, 2021, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order No. 2021-87 (EO) requiring first responders and certain private sector personnel to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in order to be considered fully vaccinated. The EO took effect immediately and requires covered employees to receive the

Under the authority delegated by the different executive orders currently in effect, on January 4, 2022, the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PR DOH) updated its Protocol for COVID-19 Case Management in the Workplace (Protocol) to help prevent exposure and provide recommendations for case management in the workplace amid

A surge in positive COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico has Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi issuing yet another round of executive orders, including one that expands the number of workers that must obtain COVID-19 booster shots.

Given the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Omicron variant, the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PR DOH) implemented, through an amendment to the Case Investigation and Contact Tracing Guidelines (Guidelines), new quarantine measures that differ from those imposed by Executive Order 2021-075.

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi recently issued back-to-back executive orders (EO) regarding COVID-19. It appears that the third EO was stuck in holiday traffic. This latest EO, like her sisters, amends November’s EO-2021-075 to curtail COVID-19 infections.

Amidst increasing positive COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico, Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi has issued an executive order requiring those working in healthcare and education settings to get vaccinated and boosted. Covered individuals must get a COVID-19 booster shot on or before January 15, 2022.

In response to the surge in COVID-19 cases, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi has issued two executive orders that impose new requirements on commercial establishments in Puerto Rico.

In Torres Rivera v. Econo, 2021 TSPR 150, 208 D.P.R. __ (Nov. 18, 2021), the Puerto Rico Supreme Court (“PRSC”) determined that when a plaintiff prevails in a discrimination lawsuit, any award of back pay (lost wages) to be granted must be reduced by any income earned from other means before

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi has issued an Executive Order (EO) requiring all private sector employers with at least 50 employees to adopt COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirements.

Under EO 2021-075, which is similar in scope to the recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard, such employers

On November 15, 2021, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order No. 2021-075 (EO 2021-075), which integrates prior COVID-19-related orders still in effect and, notably, includes vaccine/testing requirements for employers with over 50 employees. EO 2021-075 took effect immediately, and per its terms, will continue until the Emergency

The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has confirmed that continued employment may be valid consent to mandatory employment arbitration agreements in a matter of first impression. Aponte et al. v. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, LLC, CC 2018-748, __ D.P.R. __ (Nov. 10, 2021). The 5-3 decision puts to rest any notion that, in Puerto Rico, different rules could apply to arbitration agreements adopted under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA).

In Aponte Valentín v. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, CC-2018-748,1 the Puerto Rico Supreme Court reinforced the strong public policy favoring arbitration agreements in Puerto Rico, validating continued employment as implicit consent for such agreements.

On September 21, 2021, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi signed into law an Act that raises the hourly minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50. Prior to this increase, the minimum wage in Puerto Rico had not been modified since 2009. The Act and its new base pay will enter

Citing factors such as inflation, population deceleration, migration, and the long-term economic effects of Hurricane Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Pedro Pierluisi has sign into law the “Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Act.”

In order to slow the transmission rate of COVID-19 and safeguard the health of people in Puerto Rico, Governor Pedro Pierluisi recently issued a series of executive orders mandating COVID-19 vaccinations in certain instances.