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Mandatory decrees: which one applies to your industry

Updated: September 14, 202610 min read

The two rules that decide whether your decree governs

A mandatory decree is an **industry-by-industry** rule setting working conditions, and in many cases **it gives more than the general statute**. But it does not apply to everyone equally, and the Labor Department publishes **two application rules** that settle most questions.

**First rule, a decree with benefits SUPERIOR to Act 180.** Its vacation and sick leave accrual rates apply **provided that** the employee **was hired before August 1, 1995**, **remains working for the same employer** and **works the minimum of 130 hours** Act 180 requires.

**Second rule, a decree with benefits INFERIOR to Act 180.** Its rates apply **regardless of the hire date** of the employee in the industry the rule covers.

In short: **the better part of the decree is preserved for those already there before August 1995**; whatever the decree gives below the statute applies to everyone in that industry. That is why, in the list below, the decrees marked **“only if you were hired before August 1, 1995”** are the ones the Labor Department itself marks with an asterisk.

And a scope warning: this Labor Department page presents the list to **determine which vacation and sick leave benefits** apply to you. Each decree's full text may cover more, and it is published as a PDF in the Department's Labor Library.

Flagged decrees: only if you were hired before August 1, 1995

These are the decrees the Labor Department flags with the note that they **apply to employees hired by the employer before August 1, 1995**. If you started after that date, your vacation and sick leave rates come from Act 180, not from here.

**Núm. 25**, Wood and wood products; metal furniture, doors and windows; straw, hair and related products. 11th Revision (1991).
**Núm. 27**, Milk and cattle. 4th Revision (1968).
**Núm. 28**, Bread, crackers, pastry and flour pastas. 12th Revision (1993).
**Núm. 37**, Laundry and dry cleaning. 9th Revision (2000).
**Núm. 38**, Transportation. 8th Revision (1989).
**Núm. 41**, Hospitals, clinics and related services. 9th Revision (1996).
**Núm. 42**, Retail trade. 10th Revision (1991).
**Núm. 46**, Hotels. 8th Revision (2000).
**Núm. 47**, Restaurants, bars and soda fountains. 10th Revision (1988).
**Núm. 48**, Theaters and cinemas. 11th Revision (1994).
**Núm. 60**, Banking, insurance and finance. 6th Revision (1991).
**Núm. 67**, Stone, clay, glass, cement and related products. 7th Revision (1994).
**Núm. 68**, Wholesale trade and warehousing. 4th Revision (1989).
**Núm. 70**, Miscellaneous activities. 8th Revision (1995).
**Núm. 72**, Alcoholic beverages and industrial alcohol. 5th Revision (1991).
**Núm. 73**, Communications. 6th Revision (1993).
**Núm. 79**, Educational or instructional services. 3rd Revision (1993).
**Núm. 86**, Recreational, sports or entertainment services. 4th Revision (1996).
**Núm. 87**, Milk, manufacturing phase. 3rd Revision (1991).
**Núm. 88**, Personal services. 4th Revision (1997).
**Núm. 89**, Commercial services. 3rd Revision (1991).
**Núm. 90**, Professional services. 3rd Revision (1995).
**Núm. 91**, Manufacture and assembly of transportation vehicles. 3rd Revision (2002).

Decrees without that flag

These appear on the list **without** the hire-date note. Lacking it does not automatically mean they give you more: it means the Labor Department did not attach that condition to them in this table. To know what applies, compare the decree's rates with Act 180's, which is exactly what the two application rules in the previous section do.

**Núm. 32**, Chemical, petroleum, rubber and related products. 9th Revision (1992).
**Núm. 33**, Food and related products. 9th Revision (1990).
**Núm. 35**, Needlework manufacturing. 7th Revision (1992).
**Núm. 44**, Construction. 7th Revision (1994).
**Núm. 57**, Agricultural activities in general. 5th Revision (1999).
**Núm. 69**, Tobacco and food crops. 2nd Revision (1968).
**Núm. 74**, Security and protection services. 5th Revision (1991).
**Núm. 75**, Corsets, bras and related products. 4th Revision (1994).
**Núm. 76**, Leather, leather goods and related products. 4th Revision (1990).
**Núm. 77**, Textiles and textile products. 3rd Revision (1989).
**Núm. 78**, Jewelry, cutting and polishing of precious stones; buttons; artificial flowers; party decorations and favors. 5th Revision (1999).
**Núm. 80**, Plastic products. 4th Revision (1996).
**Núm. 81**, Metals, machinery, electrical products, instruments and related products. 4th Revision (1992).
**Núm. 82**, Motor vehicle and electrical appliance repair and other services. 6th Revision (1997).
**Núm. 83**, Paper, paper products, printing and publishing. 4th Revision (1994).
**Núm. 84**, Footwear and related products. 3rd Edition (1994).
**Núm. 85**, Tobacco, manufacturing phase. 2nd Revision (1990).

And two that set no accrual rates

The list itself clarifies that these two **set no vacation or sick leave accrual rates**. If you work in those agricultural phases, accrual does not come from the decree.

**Núm. 50**, Sugar, agricultural phase. 3rd Revision (1967).
**Núm. 58**, Coffee, agricultural phase. 4th Revision (1967).

How to use this without getting it wrong

**Step one: identify your industry, not your job title.** Decrees go by the employer's economic activity (hotels, retail trade, professional services, vehicle repair) not by your position's title. An accountant at a hotel falls under the hotel industry decree, not the professional services one.

**Step two: check whether your decree carries the 1995 flag** and compare it with your hire date with THAT employer. The rule also says you must **remain working for the same employer**: changing jobs within the same industry breaks the continuity.

**Step three: download the decree's PDF** from the Labor Department's Labor Library and look for its vacation and sick leave rates. **Step four: compare them with Act 180's** (½ day of vacation the first year, ¾ up to 5 years, 1 day up to 15, 1¼ after; 1 sick day a month), working at least 130 hours a month.

Two honest warnings about this guide. **One:** it does not say what rate each decree gives, because none of the 42 PDFs was opened; what is published is the official list exactly as the Labor Department presents it, with its revision number and year. **Two:** the revisions are old (they run from 1967 to 2002) so before claiming, confirm with the Labor Standards Bureau that your industry's decree is still in force and at that revision.

A counting detail, in case you cross it with another of our pages: the Bureau describes administering **43 decrees**, and the list published today on the portal has **42 entries**. We do not try to square the difference: look for yours by **industry**, not by number.

Frequently asked questions

What is a mandatory decree?

It is an industry rule administered by the Labor Department setting working conditions for that economic activity. The Department's portal publishes the list with each decree's number, the industry it covers, its revision number and the year of that revision, plus each full text as a PDF. For vacation and sick leave, the Department publishes two application rules that decide whether the decree or Act 180 governs.

I was hired in 2015. Does my industry's decree apply to me?

For accrual rates it depends on what the decree gives. If the decree gives benefits superior to Act 180, its rates apply only to those hired before August 1, 1995 who remain with the same employer, working the minimum of 130 hours a month. If the decree gives benefits inferior to Act 180, its rates apply regardless of when you were hired.

Where do I read my decree's text?

In the Labor Library on the Labor Department's portal, on the same mandatory decrees page: each list entry links the decree's PDF with its revision number and year. If you cannot find yours or are unsure which industry you fall under, the Labor Standards Bureau is the office that administers them.

My decree is from 1988. Is it still in force?

The Labor Department publishes it today in its list of administered decrees, with that revision and year, and that is this guide's basis. Even so, the age of the revisions (they run from 1967 to 2002) makes it reasonable to confirm with the Labor Standards Bureau before basing a claim on it, especially if your case turns on a specific figure in the decree.

Official sources

MyPRjobs is an independent job discovery platform. MyPRjobs does not process this application. You will be redirected to USAJOBS or the appropriate official website to complete your application.

Who writes this

MyPRjobs is made by one person in Puerto Rico who went through these processes: worked for a private agency, for the Government of Puerto Rico, and for the federal government. The guides are written from the official sources above and corrected when an agency changes a requirement.

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