Unión General de Trabajadores v. Hospital Inter-Americano de Medicina Avanzada

**Hospital Workers' Union Couldn't Sue for Unpaid Wages, But Workers Got Second Chance** This case involved a dispute between the General Workers' Union (UGT) and Hospital Inter-Americano de Medicina Avanzada (HIMA) over unpaid wages owed to hospital employees. The union tried to sue the hospital on behalf of its members, claiming the hospital had stolen wages from workers. The Puerto Rico Supreme Court delivered a mixed ruling. The court said the union itself could not sue the hospital for unpaid wages under Puerto Rico's wage laws - only the individual workers who were actually owed money had the legal right to bring this type of lawsuit. However, the court gave the affected employees a 30-day window to either join the existing lawsuit or replace the union as the plaintiffs in the case. This ruling matters for workers because it clarifies that unions cannot automatically sue employers for wage theft on behalf of their members under Puerto Rico law. Workers must pursue these claims themselves, either individually or as a group. However, the court's decision to allow a substitution period shows that workers' wage theft claims won't be automatically dismissed just because their union filed incorrectly - they get a chance to fix the legal paperwork and continue fighting for their unpaid wages.