PRASA workers to go on midweek stoppage over salary hikes.

Authentic Independent Union representative Iván Vargas Muñiz (Facebook via Iván Vargas Muñiz)

By THE STAR STAFF

The Authentic Independent Union (UIA by its initials in Spanish),  which represents employees of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), announced Tuesday that its members will halt work today and Thursday after failing to secure a long‑sought salary increase.

UIA representative Iván Vargas Muñiz said the stoppage comes in response to what the union describes as PRASA’s refusal to negotiate despite instructions from the Financial Oversight and Management Board. 

“We will be paralyzing work between Wednesday and Thursday after not receiving the salary increase,” Vargas Muñiz said, emphasizing that PRASA “does not want to negotiate with the union, even though the Board requires it.” 

He noted that the situation particularly affects older workers who, he says, “do not receive benefits,” while other employees earn very little.

“But on top of that, the changes apply to everyone -- those who receive and those who do not receive salary adjustments,” he added. 

The dispute comes amid a history of tense labor relations between the union and the public corporation. In recent years, UIA members have staged demonstrations, filed complaints, and accused PRASA leadership of avoiding negotiations. A 2024 report by Es Noticia PR, for example, detailed internal conflicts within the UIA related to negotiations over incentives and the agency’s Classification and Retribution Plan, illustrating broader discontent with stalled or limited progress at the bargaining table.

Similarly, media reports have highlighted repeated labor actions, including protests, work stoppages and disagreements over wage adjustments. Those incidents reflect long-standing tensions, with employees pushing for better pay and working conditions while PRASA officials and union leaders struggle to reach durable agreements. 

With this week’s announced stoppage, union leaders insist they are taking action only after exhausting dialogue channels. 

Later on Tuesday, PRASA Executive President Luis González Delgado rejected the strike called by the UIA and defended the dialogue process regarding the classification and compensation plan.

“We don’t understand the reason for the strike call when we have repeatedly demonstrated our openness to dialogue and mediation,” González Delgado said in a written statement. “Just this morning, representatives from the Authority participated in a meeting with the UIA, along with a mediator from the Department of Labor and Human Resources, to advance the negotiations, but the Union did not respond favorably.”

The PRASA chief said he will personally meet with the UIA leadership on Thursday at authority headquarters to hear their demands and discuss the issues raised. He noted that the meeting demonstrates the agency’s willingness to engage in dialogue.

Regarding the classification and compensation plan, González Delgado said it is a technical and administrative process requiring structured analysis, compliance with applicable regulations, and formal validations. He added that the plan, which has already taken effect for a group of employees, was discussed and approved with the previous UIA board and subsequently evaluated and approved by PRASA’s governing  board and the oversight board.