The Need for Constant Updating of Federal Labor Law Posters

Given that there are numerous state and federal agencies today, it is a given fact that labor laws have to constantly change to adapt to the changes that happen. Hundreds of labor laws are being updated and revised annually to make sure that they are applicable to the modern situation. This makes updating of federal labor law posters critical for business owners as it affects their businesses directly.

These federal labor law posters are updated or revised depending on the state. Business owners must strictly adhere to posting of appropriate and updated labor law posters in every workplace. The Department of Labor makes sure electronic copies are readily available through various distributors nationwide. Most of these posters are even available in various languages for instances that the company has several branches and has employees of different native languages.

Generally, posting requirements vary by statute. This means that a company may or may not be required to post a specific notice or not all employers are covered. However, there are several federal labor law posters that the Department of Labor requires all workplaces to post and there are those that we are most familiar with. Examples of which are:

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Poster: Also known as the minimum wage poster and includes information on overtime, child labor, and enforcement.

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Clearly addresses everything about job safety, health, and workers’ rights.

• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): This is a requirement for all companies with at least 50 employees.

Employers can be required to post as many as 11 federal labor law posters depending on the state they are located. Some may even be required to post additional posters with regards to public sector employers. Regardless of state and nature of business, every employer needs to regularly update their federal labor law posters. Here are some of the reasons why there is high need to update posters:

• Failure to post updated labor law posters may result to citation and penalty.

• It serves as clear-cut guidelines for compliance of everyone, both the employer and employees.

• Everyone needs to uphold the law at all times.

• You need to let your employees know what they are entitled to.

• You need to protect both the company and the employers.

Should you in any way fail to comply with updating your federal labor law posters, here are some of the penalty examples that may be imposed:

• Federal FMLA - $100 per offense.

• May lead to court actions and assess civil penalties as per Federal Employee Polygraph Protection Act Secretary of Labor and Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Protection Act (MSPA).

• Federal OSHA Posters - $7,000.

• CAL/OSHA Poster - $1,000 per violation.

Since there are no set dates for federal labor law posters updates, we suggest every business owner to be responsible and contact labor law posters distributors. After making sure your federal labor law posters are updated, be sure to place them on a common place visible to all employees and even applicants so everyone is guided accordingly.