Puerto Rico’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) is contracting multiple private companies to handle breaks, leaks, and broken pipes across the island to mitigate recruitment problems, amid a strike threat from the Unión Independiente Auténtica (UIA). AAA Executive President Luis González Delgado confirmed this Monday during a public hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, acknowledging difficulties attracting staff partly due to low wages, a key union complaint.
He said the operations systems position currently starts at the federal minimum wage of $10.50/hour, which would rise to $10.92 under the employer’s proposal to the UIA.