The Legislature approved today, Wednesday, the report of the Conference Committee that evaluated the Bill 338 Bill to establish the Minimum Wage Act in Puerto Rico, which means that in as of January 1, 2022, the first phase of the increase in the minimum wage will take effect.
At the beginning of the year, the minimum wage will be increased to $ 8.50 the time; for October 1, 2022 $ 9.00 per hour; and by October 1, 2023, it will be increased to $ 10.00 an hour.
“Today we reiterate our commitment to do fair justice to our workers and to guarantee them better working conditions in our town. This is the result of a constant process of dialogue, teamwork and consensus to give way to legislation that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the country, “said the representative Domingo Torres García, Chairman of the House Labor Affairs Committee.
the House Project 338, Authored by Representative Hector E. Ferrer Santiago, allows the state minimum wage in Puerto Rico to prevail over the federal one while it is higher. It also creates the Minimum Wage Evaluation Committee, which will be attached to the Department of Labor and Human Resources.
“These increases will apply to all workers covered under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (June 25, 1938),” said Chamber President Rafael “Tatito” Hernandez Montañez
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For his part, the Chairman of the Chamber of Labor Affairs Committee said that “this Committee has done an extraordinary job and that we can see the fruits today with the approval of this legislation”. Similarly, he stressed that the contributions made by representatives and senators translated into provisions that only benefit the working people.
Torres García explained that, under this piece of legislation, the Minimum Wage Evaluation Committee, Which will be an independent body with expertise that will help promote productivity and competitiveness in the Puerto Rican labor sector. I
this will be composed of two representatives of the workers; two representatives of employers ’interests, an economist recommended by the Department of Economics at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the Association of Economists; an economist expert in labor matters recommended by the Institute of Labor Relations of the UPR; and a representative of the public interest, for a total of seven members.
“This is a good day for the country and a step forward to ensure our workers and workers have fair and adequate compensation for the tasks they perform on a daily basis. In the same way, it is the reaffirmation that, when working in unity , meeting points are sought and participation is encouraged, we reached agreements that benefit all Puerto Ricans, “said Domingo Torres.
The Conference Committee was composed of the President of the Chamber and the representatives, Domingo Torres, José Rivera Fusta, Luis Raúl Torres, Jesús Santa, Àngel Matos, Héctor E. Ferrer, Carlos Méndez, Mariana Nogales, Lisie J. Burgos and Denis Márquez; the President of the Senate and Senators Juan Zaragoza, Marially González, Javier Aponte, Gretchen Hau. Ramón Ruiz Neus, Joanne Rodríguez, María de Lourdes Santiago, Ana Irma Rivera and José Vargas Vidot.