reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250 - Federal minimum wage

The federal minimum wage fixed by the Fair Labor Standards Act approved by the Congress of the United States of America on June 25, 1938, as it has subsequently been amended, shall automatically apply to the workers in Puerto Rico covered by the federal act.
Upon applying the federal minimum wage, the provisions in federal legislation and regulations shall be recognized with regard to how the minimum wage shall be paid, what working hours are, which employees and jobs are exempted from minimum wages, and to establish the minimum hours of work or maximum work week.
—July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 2.
History
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250a - Protection for local enterprises not covered by the federal statute

Those enterprises or activities that do not meet the criteria of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, and are therefore exempted from the federal minimum wage, shall pay a minimum wage equivalent to seventy percent (70%) of the prevailing minimum wage. Every other phase of federal legislation and regulations regarding how the minimum wage is to be paid, working hours, which employees and occupations are exempted from the federal minimum wage, and what a working day or week is, are applicable. Provided, That the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources shall have the authority to reduce the prevailing percent if he/she shows that its implementation will substantially affect the employees in the enterprises covered by this section.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250b - Definitions

(a) Mandatory decree.— Means a decree passed by the Minimum Wage Board under the provisions of Act No. 96 of June 26, 1956, as amended, or by the Secretary, under this chapter.
(b) Department.— Refers to the Department of Labor and Human Resources of Puerto Rico.
(c) Employ.— Means to hire, allow or put to work.
(d) Industry.— Shall mean any field of economic activity and comprises agriculture, silviculture, fishing, mining, construction, manufacture, wholesale and retail trade, finances, insurance and real estate business, transportation, communications and other public and personal (except household services), professional and business services.
(e) Board.— Means the Minimum Wage Board.
(f) Worker, employee or laborer.— Includes any person who works, practices or engages in any art, skill, trade or labor under the orders of, or for the benefit of another person, based on a contract for the leasing of services, or by some type of remuneration, or an express or tacit promise to receive it, in any industry. It does not include independent contractors.
(g) Employer.— Includes any natural or juridical person of any nature who, for profit or not, employs or allows any number of laborers, workers, or employees to work for any type of compensation.
(h) Salary.— Includes wages, pay, remuneration and any type of compensation, whether in cash, in kind, services, facilities, or any combination thereof; but shall not include anything but money when it is a minimum wage prescribed under the provisions of this chapter, unless otherwise provided or authorized by the Secretary.
(i) Minimum wage.— Comprises the minimum wages established pursuant to this chapter for workers of enterprises or for activities not covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
(j) Federal minimum wage.— Is the minimum wage established by the Fair Labor Standards Act approved by the Congress of the United States of America on June 25, 1938, as amended.
(k) Secretary.— Refers to the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources of Puerto Rico.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250c - Industries that provide greater or lesser benefits

(a) Those industries that on the effective date of this act are paying higher wages under a mandatory decree and are not covered by the federal minimum wage, shall continue to pay them to their workers. However, those industries that are covered by the federal act and are paying wages that are higher than the federal minimum wage, shall continue to pay them to the workers.
(b) An employee who was covered by a mandatory decree as of August 1, 1995, which provided for the monthly accrual of vacation and sick leave rates higher than what is provided in this chapter, or who was entitled to accrue such benefits with less hours of work than what is provided in this chapter, shall continue to enjoy such benefits under the same terms that existed before August 1, 1995. This provision shall apply as long as he/she works for the same employer.
(c) Those industries that on the effective date of this act, were regulated by mandatory decrees with a monthly accrual rate of vacation and sick leave lower than what is provided in this chapter, or with requirements of minimum hours of work to be entitled to said accrual rates greater than what is provided in this chapter, shall continue to be subject to the provisions of said mandatory decree to such effects. In the shortest time possible, and according to the economic capacity of each industry, the minimum vacation and sick leave benefits established by said mandatory decrees shall be adjusted to the levels provided in this chapter.
(d) In the process of revising the mandatory decrees, the Secretary shall take into consideration the cost of living and the special needs of the employees, as well as the economic conditions and the competition of the industry in question, so that there will be no substantial reduction in employment in said industries. In revising the decrees, the Secretary shall comply with the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act of Puerto Rico”, §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3. Provided, That public hearings notified at least sixty (60) days in advance, shall be held in the revision process, and the determination shall be subject to judicial review.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250e - Use of uniforms

Every employer who requires his/her employees to use a uniform shall have to defray the expense of their acquisition. Under no circumstances shall the employee be required in any way, to contribute directly or indirectly to assume, totally or partially, the expense of acquiring said uniforms. Pursuant to this section, every health services employer is required to assume the obligation to furnish uniforms, or their equivalent in money, to the nurses, as well as to laboratory and radiology technicians, therapists, or other technical health professionals whose practice requires the use of uniforms.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 7; July 30, 1999, No. 192, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250f - Persons excluded from this chapter

(a) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:
(1) Persons employed in domestic service in a family residence, except chauffeurs;
(2) persons employed by the Government of the United States of America, the Government of Puerto Rico, except by those agencies or instrumentalities thereof that operate as private businesses or enterprises, and
(3) persons employed by the municipal governments.
(b) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to “administrators”, “executives” and “professionals” as said terms are defined by Regulation Number 13 of the Minimum Wage Board, or as subsequently amended by the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources under the powers granted by this chapter.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250g - Violations; penalties

(a) Any person who as an employer, or an administrator, official, agent, employee or person in charge of a firm, partnership or corporation, or of another person or persons, violates or refuses to comply or is reticent in complying with any provision of this chapter, or any decree or regulation adopted by the Minimum Wage Board, and which has been validated by the provisions of this chapter, or that is subsequently issued by the Legislature pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1000), or imprisonment for a term of not less than ninety (90) days nor more than one hundred and twenty (120) days, or both penalties, at the discretion of the court.
(b) In the event of a second violation of the infractions mentioned in this section, a fine which shall not be less than one thousand dollars ($1000) or more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or imprisonment for a term of not less than one hundred twenty (120) days nor more than one year, or both penalties, shall be imposed at the discretion of the court.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250h - Injunction and other proceedings

(a) It shall be the duty of the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources or through any of his/her duly authorized employees or agents to ensure compliance of this chapter. To such effects, whenever the Secretary believes that any employer is violating or is going to violate any provision of this chapter, shall file an injunction or any other remedies that may be needed to enforce the terms of this chapter. The Court of First Instance, Superior Part, shall have the authority to hear and decide all the abovementioned suits.
(b) To such effects, every employer:
(1) Shall allow the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources or any of his/her duly authorized employees or agents, free access to all sites and properties in which or with which any type of work is performed, in order to perform any investigation on the prevailing working conditions therein.
(2) Shall allow the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources or any of his/her authorized employees or agents to inspect his/her accounting books, reports, contracts, lists, payrolls, and all records of the employees’ working conditions in order to perform any investigation related to compliance of any provision of this chapter.
(c) Any employer who does not comply with or violates any of the duties or obligations stated in this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than six hundred dollars ($600), or a maximum term of one month of imprisonment, or both penalties, at the discretion of the court, and in case of a second offense, he/she shall be punished with a fine of fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500) or imprisonment for a term of ninety (90) days, or both penalties, at the discretion of the court.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250i - Claims filed by employees

(a) Any employee or worker who receives compensation for his/her work which is less than that prescribed by this chapter or a collective bargaining agreement or an individual work contract, shall be entitled to collect through a civil suit, the difference owed up to the total amount of the corresponding compensation for wages, vacation and sick leave, or any other benefit, plus an amount equal to that which has not been paid to him/her as additional compensation, plus costs interest, expenses and fees of the lawyers in the case, notwithstanding any other agreement to the contrary.
(b) All claims that several or all of the workers or employees have against an employer in common for work performed in the same establishment, firm or site may be joined in a single suit.
(c) Claims may be handled by regular suit or through any procedure for wage claims that are established in other laws of Puerto Rico.
(d) With regard to compliance of this chapter, the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources may file suit on his own account or at the request of one or more workers or employees with an interest therein, and in representation and benefit of one or more of the same who are in similar circumstances, for the payment of any indebted amount for wages, additional compensation, interests, costs, expenses and lawyers fees that are indicated in subsection (a) of this section. Any worker with an interest therein may become a plaintiff in any suit that is thus brought by the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources.
(e) The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources may become a plaintiff or intervener in any judicial suit or proceeding that is filed by any person under this chapter.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 11A - Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation and Sick Leave Act (§§ 250 — 250j) › § 250j - Prescriptive term

(a) An employee’s suit to claim wages against his/her employer under this chapter or any mandatory decree approved or to be approved pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or under any contract or law, shall prescribe within a term of (3) years. The term for this action to prescribe shall be counted from the time that the employee ceased to work for the employer. The prescriptive term indicated above shall be interrupted and shall begin anew through the judicial or extra judicial claim for the wage debt filed by the worker, his representative or an official of the Department empowered to do so, and by any act by the employer acknowledging the debt.
(b) When the employee is working with the employer, the claim shall only include the salaries to which the employee is entitled for any reason during the three (3) years prior to the date the judicial action was filed.
(c) In the event the employee has ceased working for the employer, the claim shall only include the last three (3) years prior to the date he/she stopped working.
(d) With regard to the prescriptive term provided in this section, a change in the nature of the employee’s work shall not constitute a novation of the employment contract.
(e) Provisions of this section shall in no way affect the cases that have already been filed in the courts, or those that are filed within one year after this act becomes effective.
History —July 27, 1998, No. 180, § 12; May 21, 2000, No. 80, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 271 - Working hours—Per day and week

Eight (8) hours of work constitute the legal workday in Puerto Rico.
Forty (40) hours of work constitute a workweek.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 2; July 23, 1974, No. 223, Part 2, p. 161, § 1; July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 272 - Working hours—Regular hours

Regular working hours are eight (8) hours during any workday and forty hours (40) during any workweek.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 3; July 23, 1974, No. 223, Part 2, p. 161, § 2; July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 273 - Overtime

Extra working hours are:
(a) The hours that an employee works for his employer in excess of eight (8) hours during any period of twenty-four (24) consecutive hours.
(b) The hours that an employee works for his employer in excess of forty during any week, unless the hours worked daily in excess of eight are paid at double time rates.
(c) The hours that an employee works for his employer during the days or hours when the establishment in which he renders services should remain closed to the public by legal provision; Provided, however, That the hours worked by an employee for his employer during the days or hours in which the establishment must remain closed to the public shall not be considered extra hours, when the employer has obtained from the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources the permit required by §§ 289 and 290 of this title, and the total number of hours worked by the employee during said day do not exceed eight (8) hours, nor the total number of hours worked during the week exceed forty (40) hours.
(d) The hours that an employee works for his employer in excess of such maximum working hours a day as the Minimum Wage Board may have fixed or may fix for the occupation, business, or industry in question.
(e) The hours that an employee works for his employer in excess of the maximum number of working hours a day fixed in a collective bargaining agreement.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 4; July 23, 1974, No. 223, Part 2, p. 161, § 3; Dec. 1, 1989, No. 1, p. 633, § 12; Nov. 16, 2009, No. 143, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 273a - Working hours—Flexible work schedule

An alternate or optional flexible work schedule may be established solely by agreement between the employee and the employer, which will allow advancing or delaying the hour to begin the workday and the period assigned for meals. Employers shall process with priority those requests submitted by heads of families who have the patria potestas or sole custody of their minor children. This hourly work schedule shall be completed consecutively, without fractioning it. The aforesaid may be interrupted only for the period of time provided for or agreed upon for taking meals as established by law. Any such agreement shall also provide for a rest period of not less than twelve (12) consecutive hours, between daily work schedules. When these requirements are complied with, those hours which are the result of having advanced or delayed the work schedule or the time for taking meals during the workday shall not be deemed as overtime. Nevertheless, those hours worked during the periods reserved for resting or meals and those hours worked in excess of the daily eight (8) hour workday or the forty (40) hour workweek, shall be deemed to be, and paid as overtime, as provided in this chapter.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, added as § 5 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5; Jan. 4, 2002, No. 7, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 274 - Working hours—Extra wages for extra hours

Every employer who employs or permits an employee to work during extra hours, shall be bound to pay him for each extra hour a wage rate equal to double the rate agreed upon for regular hours; Provided, however, That every employer in any industry in Puerto Rico covered by the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act approved by the Congress of the United States of America on June 25, 1938, as heretofore or hereafter amended, shall be under obligation to pay only for each extra hour of work in excess of the legal eight (8) hour working day a wage at a rate of not less than time and a half the rate of wage agreed upon for regular hours, save when by a decree of the Minimum Wage Board or by a collective bargaining agreement or both, other working and/or compensation standard has been fixed. To determine the wage rate agreed upon for regular working hours the daily, weekly, or monthly wages, or wages otherwise stipulated, shall be divided by the number of regular hours worked during that same period in accordance with the provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 5; July 23, 1974, No. 223, Part 2, p. 161, § 4; renumbered as § 6 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 275 - Working hours—Construction of labor contracts

In every labor contract in which wages are stipulated by the day, it shall be understood that eight (8) hours constitute a working day, save in those cases where, by custom, nature of the work, provision of law, decree of the Minimum Wage Board, or collective agreement, the maximum working hours are less than eight (8) hours a day.
Every decree, agreement, clause, or stipulation, that fixes a working day of more than eight (8) hours shall be null.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 6, renumbered as § 7 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 276 - Working hours—Weekly wage as covering regular hours

If an employee works for a weekly wage, the wage stipulated shall cover solely the payment of the regular working hours during each week.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 7, renumbered as § 8 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 277 - Working hours—Monthly wage as covering regular hours

If an employee works for a monthly wage, the wage stipulated shall cover solely the payment of the regular working hours during each month.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 8, renumbered as § 9 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 278 - Working hours—Piecework; extra hours

If the contract is on the basis of piecework or any other unit of work, the employee shall be entitled to receive double compensation for the pieces or units made during extra hours.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 9, renumbered as § 10 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 279 - Working hours—Construction and improvement work; extra hours; prescription on claim

In building, reconstruction, repair works, or works for the improvement of property, done by the job and in any other work in which contractors, subcontractors, ajustadores, foremen, or any agent or representative of the employer intervenes, the employee shall also be entitled to additional compensation on the basis of the double wages that §§ 271—288 of this title fix for extra hours of work.
In these cases the owner, or the person for whom the works are constructed or the work is done, shall be liable jointly with the contractor, subcontractor, ajustador, foreman, agent or representative of the employer, for the payment of the wages earned in regular hours and extra hours of work; Provided, That no action or claim may be filed against the owner or grantee of the works one year after the work for which payment is claimed has been finished, except when the work is done by force account [sic], in which case the provisions on limitation of actions claiming wages of § 32 of Act June 26, 1956, No. 96 shall govern.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 10; Apr. 26, 1963, No. 12, p. 16; renumbered as § 11 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 280 - Working hours—Consolidation of payment for regular and extra hours void

No provision of §§ 271—288 of this title shall justify any employer to reduce the wage paid by him during the month of January 1948 for one working day, one working week, or one working month, or to pay to any employee a lower wage than the one paid by him to the same employee as of said date.
Any clause or stipulation of a labor contract in which the compensation of the employee is fixed at a rate of wages by the day, by the week, or by the month, which consolidates the payment of regular hours and the extra hours of work, shall be null.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 11, renumbered as § 12 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 281 - Working hours—Waiver of wages for extra time prohibited

It is hereby declared that the additional compensation on the basis of double time fixed by §§ 271—288 of this title for extra hours of work may not be waived.
Any clause or stipulation by virtue of which the employee agrees to waive the payment of the additional compensation for extra hours fixed by §§ 271—288 of this title shall be null.
No judgment, award, adjudication or any other provision of a claim for compensation, right or benefit under any act, mandatory decree, wage order, collective agreement or work contract, may be raised as a defense of a former adjudication by [the] fractioning of cause of action, to defeat another claim, unless the same cause of action has been expressly adjudicated in the previous proceeding, for the same facts between the same parties.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 12; June 5, 1973, No. 95, p. 408; renumbered as § 13 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 284 - Working hours—Payrolls made and kept by employer; subject to inspection

Every employer shall be obliged to make, keep, and preserve the payrolls of the persons employed by him, stating the salaries earned and the regular hours and extra hours worked by each one, and other conditions and practices of employment maintained by him. The payrolls shall be kept in accordance with such reasonable rules as the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources may prescribe and shall be kept for such time as the rules may determine.
The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources or any of his duly authorized agents may examine during working hours the payrolls of any employer for the purpose of taking data and information for the statistics, surveys, and investigations in connection with the enforcement of §§ 271—288 of this title.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 15, renumbered as § 16 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 285 - Working hours—Occupations subject to law; exceptions

The provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title shall govern in every commercial, industrial, and agricultural establishment; in every shop, factory, refinery, mill, and plant; in every ranch, property, farm, estate, and plantation; in every public service enterprise; in every profit or nonprofit business, including printing shops, publishing houses, newspaper enterprises, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, learning institutions, boarding houses, hotels, diners, restaurants, stores, grocery stores, warehouses, depots, markets, garages, bakeries, theaters, racetracks, casinos, and the like; in every business office or establishment, law office, medical, and professional office, and in every place devoted to the rendering of any kind of service, including nonprofit associations or organizations and charitable institutions.
The provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title shall also apply to all chauffeurs and operators of public and private motor vehicles, excepting those who work on a commission basis.
The provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title shall not apply to persons in domestic service; Provided, however, That these persons shall be entitled to one day of rest for every six days of work.
The provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title shall not apply, either, to persons engaged in the sale of cars, trucks, self-propelled heavy machinery, or any motor and/or hauling vehicle, when said persons are employed for such tasks by a business establishment devoted mainly to the sale of motor and/or hauling vehicles while they are engaged in sales and are compensated on a commission or a salary basis, or a combination of both. Provided, That these employees shall be entitled to one day of rest for every six days of work. Provided, That the exemption granted by this section shall be effective only if the employer complies with the provisions of Act No. 96 of June 26, 1956, guaranteeing to the salesperson the applicable minimum wage prevailing in Puerto Rico for hours worked each week, even if he/she has not earned any commissions. The payment by the employer for hours worked in which the employee did not receive a commission shall be deemed as an advance on commissions, whose adjustment shall be made at the end of the month. Providing, further, That employees earn more than half of their income from commissions and that their hourly compensation, including commissions, is equal to at least one and-a-half times the federal minimum wage.
The provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title shall not apply to the employees of the Commonwealth Government, the municipal governments, the Government of the Capital, nor of the agencies or instrumentalities of said governments, except those agencies or instrumentalities devoted to agricultural, industrial, commercial or public service enterprises.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 16; May 5, 1976, No. 27, p. 65, § 2; renumbered as § 17 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5; Apr. 30, 1996, No. 33, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 286 - Working hours—Regulations by Secretary of Labor and Human Resources

The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources shall prepare the rules and regulations necessary for the best enforcement of §§ 271—288 of this title. Such rules and regulations shall, after they are approved by the Governor and are duly promulgated, have the force of law.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 17, renumbered as § 18 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 287 - Working hours—Penalties

Every employer who fails to pay the rate of wages stipulated in §§ 271—288 of this title for regular hours or extra hours of work, or who permits, induces, or obliges an employee to waive, to accept, or to agree to waive, the compensation on the basis of double time for extra hours, or who does not keep the payrolls of the wages as determined by the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources, or who does not submit the reports in regard to wages that the Secretary may request, or prevents the examination of said payrolls by the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources or his authorized agents, or knowingly sets forth false data in said payrolls or reports, or who violates any provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title or of the orders, rules, or regulations that the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources may prescribe as herein determined, or who discharges or otherwise discriminates against any employee because the latter has instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding in accordance with §§ 271—288 of this title or connected herewith, or who avails himself of any resources, fraud, deceit, or subterfuge in order not to pay, to evade or refuse payment of, or deprive any employee of the right to receive, double time for extra hours of work, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50) or by imprisonment in jail for a term of not less than fifteen (15) days, or by both penalties, in the discretion of the court. In case of a subsequent offense, he shall be punished by a fine of from one hundred [dollars] ($100) to five hundred dollars ($500), or by imprisonment in jail for a term of from thirty (30) to ninety (90) days, or by both penalties, in the discretion of the court.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 379, p. 1254, § 18, renumbered as § 19 on July 20, 1995, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 289 - Permits for employment outside regular hours

The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources is hereby authorized to grant permits to employers or owners of establishments to employ workmen or employees in the days or hours in which the establishments must remain closed to the public or in night hours during which work by women is forbidden by Act June 21, 1919, No. 73 when in the judgment of the Secretary it may be necessary to work during such days or hours for the purpose of permitting said employers or owners to complete urgent or necessary works which must be finished within a determined time in shops, factories, or any other industrial or commercial establishments in Puerto Rico; Provided, however, That in no case whatsoever may a woman be employed after ten o’clock at night and until six o’clock in the morning, who is under eighteen (18) years of age, or who is pregnant, or who has worked during the next preceding sixteen (16) hours for a number of hours which, added to the number of hours she would have to work during the period from ten o’clock in the night to six o’clock in the morning, would exceed, in the aggregate, eight (8) hours of work during the above-mentioned period of twenty-four (24) hours.
Whenever an employer or owner finds it necessary to avail himself of the provisions of sections Act June 21, 1919, No. 73, he shall notify the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources, and in his absence, the Assistant Secretary, or such person as may be substituting him as the head of said Department, that such necessity exists and of the time that will be needed to complete the work, and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary, or the person substituting him as head of the Department, may issue the proper permit; Provided, That the extra hours worked and the compensation appertaining to the work performed under said permits shall be determined and paid for in accordance with the provisions of §§ 271—288 of this title. It shall be the duty of every employer or owner of an establishment to whom a permit has been granted to send to the Department of Labor and Human Resources, within the ten (10) days following the completion of the work, a duplicate of the payroll of the employees used therein, setting forth under oath the name of every employee, his address, type of work performed, time, and wages paid; and Provided, further, That upon the granting of the permit, the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources shall be authorized to investigate the motives or reasons of the employer or owner for making the request; and if he finds that the facts have been maliciously falsified or that the request was not justified, such facts shall constitute a misdemeanor, and, within the sixty (60) days following the granting of the permit, the proper complaint may be filed.
History —May 5, 1931, No. 80, p. 496; § 1; Apr. 15, 1935, No. 24, p. 188, § 1; May 14, 1947, No. 418, p. 842, § 1; May 6, 1949, No. 188, p. 594, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 290 - Permits for employment outside regular hours—Penalties

Every employer who violates §§ 289 and 290 of this title or any section or provision hereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars ($25) or more than one hundred dollars ($100). For any subsequent violation of §§ 289 and 290 of this title or of any section or provision hereof, the delinquent employer shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000); Provided, That no complaint for a violation of §§ 289 and 290 of this title shall be dismissed on the ground of joinder of violations committed, or for defects of form, provided that the violation or violations complained of are included within the provisions of §§ 289 and 290 of this title.
History —May 5, 1931, No. 80, p. 496, § 2, eff. 90 days after May 5, 1931.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 291 - Public works—Hours for laborers

In all public works constructed in Puerto Rico, whether by contract or by administration, where the Commonwealth Government, any municipality of Puerto Rico or any commission or board approved by virtue of law, is an interested party, and where it may be necessary to employ laborers, workingmen or mechanics, these shall not be permitted or compelled to work more than eight hours daily in any natural day, excepting in cases of extraordinary emergency caused by fire, inundation or danger to lives or property; and every laborer, workingman or mechanic employed in any Commonwealth or municipal public work shall receive not less than one dollar ($1.00) for each legal day’s work performed.
History —June 30, 1923, No. 11, p. 186, § 1; July 23, 1925, No. 54, p. 302, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 292 - Public works—Penalties

Any contractor, subcontractor or other person performing any public work of the Commonwealth government or of any municipality of Puerto Rico, violating the provisions of § 291 of this title, shall be deemed guilty of [a] misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined a sum not to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25) or confined in jail for a term of not more than twenty-five (25) days, or shall suffer both penalties.
History —June 30, 1923, No. 11, p. 186, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › §§ 293, 294 - Repealed. Act Apr. 8, 2011, No. 54, § 1, eff. Apr. 8, 2011

History —Mar. 12, 1908, p. 170, § 1; Repealed. Act.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 294 - Hours of labor for railroad employees—Penalties [Repealed]

History —Mar. 12, 1908, p. 170, § 2; Repealed. Act.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 295 - One day of rest for every six days

All employees of any commercial or industrial establishment, enterprise or lucrative or nonlucrative business, including those operated by nonprofit associations or organizations and charitable institutions, not subject to the provisions of former § 2201 of Title 33, relative to the closing to the public, shall be entitled to one day of rest for every six (6) working days. For the purposes of §§ 295—299 of this title, one day of rest shall be understood as a period of twenty-four (24) consecutive hours.
History —Apr. 9, 1946, No. 289, p. 682, § 1; June 2, 1976, No. 121, p. 351.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 296 - One day of rest for every six (6) days—Piecework as exempt

The provisions of §§ 295—299 of this title shall not be applicable to occasional or piecework.
History —Apr. 9, 1946, No. 289, p. 682, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 297 - One day of rest for every six (6) days—Salary deduction prohibited

No employer shall deduct any sum from the salary of any employee for the day of rest established by §§ 295—299 of this title.
History —Apr. 9, 1946, No. 289, p. 682, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 298 - One day of rest for every six (6) days—Double wages for work on day of rest

Any employer who employs or permits an employee to work on the day of rest established by §§ 295—299 of this title shall be obliged to pay said employee for the hours worked during such day of rest a rate double the salary rate agreed upon for regular working hours.
History —Apr. 9, 1946, No. 289, p. 682, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 13 - Working Hours and Days (§§ 271 — 299) › § 299 - One day of rest for every six (6) days—Definition of employee

For the purposes of §§ 295—299 of this title, employees shall be understood to mean any employee, laborer, clerk, workman, day laborer or person who works for an employer for a salary, wage, or any other compensation. Employee shall not be understood, however, to mean professionals, executives and administrators.
History —Apr. 9, 1946, No. 289, p. 682, § 5; Apr. 27, 1950, No. 130, p. 336, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 14 - Regulation of Operation of Commercial Establishments (§§ 301 — 312) › § 301 - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated hereinbelow:
(a) Day.— Shall mean a period of twenty-four (24) consecutive hours, which begin and end at midnight.
(b) Business establishment.— Shall mean any site, store or similar place where any type of business operation or commercial activity for the sale or transfer of retail articles is carried out, or that is owned by the same corporation or natural or juridical person.
(c) Employee.— Shall mean any fulltime or part-time employee; professional employee, executive or administrator who works in the business establishment; or employee by contract.
History —Dec. 1, 1989, No. 1, p. 633, § 2; Jan. 23, 2006, No. 24, § 2; Nov. 16, 2009, No. 143, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART I - Labor Provisions Generally (§§ 1 — 510k) › Chapter 14 - Regulation of Operation of Commercial Establishments (§§ 301 — 312) › § 302 - Full-day closing

Commercial establishments that operate in hotels, paradores, condo hotels, airports, sea ports, or in zones classified as tourist, old or historical zones, or commercial establishments devoted predominantly to the service or sale of items of tourist interest; establishments that operate in facilities devoted to cultural, artisanry, recreational, or sports activities; establishments devoted mainly to fixing and selling prepared meals directly to the public; drugstores; gas stations and commercial establishments located therein; bookstores, posts, kiosks, or stands that sell books, magazines, newspapers, and literary and musical publications or recordings; establishments that operate as part of the facilities of a funeral home or cemetery; and establishments and farmer’s markets, shall not be subject to the restriction on opening provided for under this section. In tourist zones, municipal legislatures may vary the opening and closing hours of commercial establishments devoted to the sale of alcoholic beverages or establishments that disrupt the peace of residents of said zone, by using the procedures established in §§ 4001 et seq. of Title 21, known as the “Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of 1991”.
Neither shall these restrictions apply to business establishments operated exclusively by their owners or their owners’ relatives within second-degree of consanguinity or affinity, nor to business establishments owned by natural or juridical persons which do not have more than twenty-five (25) employees in their weekly payroll, including employees under contract. When a business establishment engages in operations covered under the exceptions of this section together with operations not subject to such exceptions, such business may only engage in exempted operations on full-day closing dates established in this section and within the Sunday business-hour schedule established in § 303 of this title. Business establishments not mentioned in this section shall remain closed all day without any type of work being performed, except that at the discretion of the owner, agent, manager or person in charge of the business, those tasks that are related to the continuity of its operations and maintenance may be performed on the following dates:
(a) January 1
(b) January 6
(c) Good Friday
(d) Easter Sunday
(e) Mother’s Day
(f) Father’s Day
(g) General Elections Day
(h) Thanksgiving
(i) December 25
History —Dec. 1, 1989, No. 1, p. 633, § 3; Dec. 31, 1997, No. 212, § 1; Nov. 16, 2009, No. 143, § 3; July 30, 2010, No. 115, § 1, retroactive to Nov. 16, 2009.