The Unión Independiente Auténtica (UIA) and management of Puerto Rico’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) have not reached an agreement after a Wednesday negotiating session. AAA’s administration vice president, Karim Del Valle Gregory, said the parties "evaluated and discussed different economic proposals" but that no deal was reached, adding the dialogue table remains open and talks will resume Friday at the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH).
The union’s main concern is approval of the Classification and Compensation Plan, with pending issues including salary scales and other economic aspects, plus finalizing a draft proposal. The UIA said that at a lengthy Friday session, its Executive Committee and chapter presidents rejected an AAA counterproposal for not adequately addressing worker needs or salary scales.
The union then worked through the weekend into Tuesday to develop new alternatives, and on Wednesday presented another proposal. After waiting several hours, AAA returned essentially the same rejected proposal from the prior Friday. UIA Vice President Xavier Rodríguez González said the committee was surprised by this, stressing the union came to negotiate in good faith and seek real alternatives for a fair agreement for workers.