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 and does not create any new substantive rights, the Act centralizes a non-exhaustive list of previously established rights for working women in the public and private sectors. These rights include, among others, protections against employment discrimination based on sex; equal pay; paid maternity leave and return-to-work protections; paid breastfeeding breaks; protection from sexual harassment and domestic violence in the workplace; and adequate internal procedures to address sexual harassment complaints.
Importantly, Act 9 requires all governmental agencies, public corporations, municipalities and private employers to publish its provisions in a place accessible to all employees and visitors. The Act designates the Puerto Rico Women's Advocate Office ("WAO") to design the corresponding posters for this purpose, which per the Act will be available electronically on the WAO's website. The WAO has announced that it will begin this process in the coming weeks. Employers should be on the lookout to comply with this requirement.
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