Buying Your Very First California Labor Law Posters 2013: What Should You Know

If you have just established your business or company, one of the first things that you have to figure out is on how to get your hands on California labor law posters 2013. These compliance materials will form one of the essential pillars of the business that you have just established.

It might seem to be quite an easy thing to deal with this need for poster compliance but actually there is much more to it than what we could ever expect. Mandates of the federal government over the rights of workers as given by employers are very specific and openly stated. It is either comply or suffer the consequences that could bring over circumstances that would bring about bad reputation or other worse things.

For those who are about to buy their first California labor law posters 2013, the following concerns are always being noted:

• Knowing the right types of posters to pick and order: There are currently different types of posters that would be available from private online makers and sellers of posters. It is apparent that factors such as the type of industry or business, types of employees, language diversity within the workplace, and many others should be carefully considered.

• Knowing the right sources: Sellers or sources of the most updated California labor law posters 2013 could be any of the following: the government or private companies. The former could provide limited supplies of posters for free while the latter could make available as much posters an employer would need depending on paid orders.

• Finding the right deals: It is to be noted that it could be a costly thing to acquire these new California labor law posters 2013 most especially if the business is large or has a lot of work locations. There are companies or sellers who would offer huge discounts for bulk orders. There are also some that could make their update notification subscription an added freebie for transaction that would take place. See to it though that the qualities of the products provided by these sellers are not inferior.

• Knowing what customers are saying about the seller and its products: Will the seller or maker of these posters provide top rated services at all times? This is a thing that could be determined more accurately through the eyes of those customers or clients that they have served in the past. See to it that if the company you are eyeing to buy from has a web base site, there should be a testimonials page that you could visit.

• Getting an assurance that you will always be using updated posters: Updates to these labor law posters are being added regularly. There are always lineups of labor law amendments that could get an approval to be published yearly. Employers like you could always check out the websites of local as well as national labor departments. For an easier time, you should see to it that you are subscribed to an update notification service provided by a private California labor law posters 2013 maker and seller. 

Get the updated 2013 California Labor Law posters today!

Labor Laws like the one set by the Federal and State Labor Departments are enforced in order to protect the rights of the citizens working as employees in an organization during the tenure of their employment. The Federal Labor Laws are applicable across the United States of America, with each state having its own defined labor laws as well.

According to these Labor Departments, it is the responsibility of every business owner to install Labor Law Posters at various locations across their business premises where they can be easily read by all the employees so that they are all aware of their various rights as employees. A lack of Labor Law Posters on the premises can attract a hefty fine as well. Another factor to keep in mind is the updating of these Labor Law Posters so that they are in accordance with the very latest developments in labor laws. For example, in the state of California, the latest labor law amendments in 2013 cover:

Sex Discrimination and Breastfeeding

Religion and Reasonable Accommodation

Inspection of Personnel Records

Social Media and Personal Passwords

Penalties for Wage Statement Violations

Itemized Wage Statements/Temporary Service Employers

Fixed Salaries and Overtime

Commission Agreements

Human Trafficking Posting

Wage Garnishment

Accessibility Reform

Workers Compensation Reform

Intellectual Disabilities

FEHC Eliminated, Duties Transferred to the DFEH

Prevailing Wage

Unemployment Insurance: Overpayment and Penalties

Warehouse Workers

Farm Labor Contractors

So as you can see, ignoring the updating of these Labor Law Posters means that your business could risk lawsuits related to the above stated laws in conjunction with the fines which would be imposed by the State and Federal Labor Law Departments. All Californian Labor Law Posters 2013 must cover employment aspects like:

Minimum wage notice

Payday notice

Safety and health protection on the job

Emergency phone numbers

Access to medical and exposure records

Work related injuries and corresponding compensation

Whistleblower protections

No smoking signage

Access to an updated record of occupational injuries and illnesses

Discrimination and Harassment

Pregnancy disability leave

Family care and medical leave

Insurance benefits

Time off to fulfill voting responsibilities.

Employees with disabilities

Employee Polygraph Protection

Therefore, as you can see, the gamut of labor laws is immense and ignoring this can lead to the business owners facing at the least financial reprimands and at the most, expensive litigation, punitive damages and closure of the business. Therefore, for any California business, getting 2013’s Labor Law Posters is necessary.

California Occupational Safety and Health Act That Employees Should Know

The Occupational Safety and Health Act is a law enacted by the federal government in order to regulate and govern the occupational health and safety issues in the private sector and federal government in the United States. Signed by President Richard Nixon and enacted by Congress in 1970, the principal objective of this law is to make sure the employers in the country provide a hazard free work environment to the employees that are free from recognized hazards including excessive heat or cold, unsanitary conditions, exposure to toxic chemicals or excessive noise levels. While passing this act, Congress declared that its intent behind this law was "to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources."

Also popularly known as Cal/OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Division of Occupational Safety and Health is established by the federal government in order to implement the said law to safeguard workers and the public at large from safety hazards. The tools used by this organization to realize the said objective include ensuring that the firms across the U.S. are in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health law in addition to implementing some inspection programs to monitor the safety standards of elevators, amusement rides, aerial tramways, ski lifts and pressure vessels. OSHA has the authority to set as well as enforce workplace health and safety standards. The department also provides consultative assistance to employers as per request.

The Act also instituted the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to supervise enforcement priorities, actions and cases. One another organization that was established in order to further the objectives of the law is the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an independent research institute in the then-Centers for Disease Control.

The Act defines an employer as any "person engaged in a business affecting commerce who has employees, but does not include the United States or any state or political subdivision of a State." The Act covers the comprehensive range of employers in all sectors including manufacturers, construction companies, law firms, hospitals, charities, labor unions and private schools.

Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act features the general duty clause that directs the employers to maintain the conditions and practices necessary to protect workers on their job; act in compliance with the standards meant for their organization; and ensure the employees use the appropriate protective equipments while at work.

Section 8 of the Act pronounces reporting needs. If there is a fatal work-related incident in the workplace or if three or more employees are hospitalized due to a work-related incident, the employers must report the same to OSHA within eight hours. As per the law, OSHA inspectors are authorised to enter, inspect and investigate safety issues during regular working hours of the organization. The employers must take all measures to educate their employees regarding the work-related hazards. The Act also requires the employers to keep a record of non-consumer chemical products used in the workplace, and posting and supplying the material safety sheets to the employees. The Act permits the states to implement their own occupational safety and health plans in a way they do not overtake or clash with the federal laws.

To know more about California Occupational Safety and Health Act, check this:
http://www.easybusinessposters.com/products/california-total-labor-law-poster.html

California Employers Can Face Confounding Array Of Workplace Mandates

Being the nation's most populous state is not California's only claim to fame. Allowed to talk off the record, many employers who have learned the rigors of coping with the Golden State's often-unique approaches to employment laws will say those laws frequently help make California the most challenging state in which to do business.

The wide range of mandates in California labor law posters is one prime example of how California can complicate an employer's job. To take just one example, dealing with the already-complex task of avoiding job discriminating against job seekers and workers who are pregnant and are seeking time off is made all the more difficult due to the state’s multiple mandates, and their differences from the requirements of federal law.

Employers in all states have to meet federal EEOC requirements, but that's not the whole story. California has its own laws in the area, which give workers as much as four months pregnancy disability leave, complete with extended health benefits, with no minimum time in the job required. The leave is for disabilities caused by pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, without any requirement that the employee have worked for the employer for any specified length of time.

The state rules also cover more businesses than do the federal rules, define key terms like "disability" more broadly, and expand its reach into the new area of job bias due to "perceived pregnancy" disability. Employers who long ago had come to terms with the state rules may need to check again, since the state has recently revised them. And employers might also want to check the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, while they're at it.

Figuring the interplay of California's often ambitious workplace rules with the requirements of federal law is not a California employer's only headache. The state's rich array of its own laws can be confounding. For instance, the state's Family Rights Act lets workers take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave after a birth, adoption or foster care placement, while the state's Family Temporary Disability Insurance program may extend a worker's unemployment compensation payments in some similar cases.

Another example of complexity and confusion awaiting a California employer can be found in the state's paid vacation law. Federal law and the laws in most states permit employers to have workers lose any unused vacation time at year end, but California includes untaken vacation time in its definition of wages, and decisions by the state's court have struck down employer policies that result in unused vacation time being forfeited. As a result, no matter what benefit program a national employer may have, it is a fair bet it may have to create a new variant to satisfy California's requirements.

California is also far from hesitant to impose requirements on employers in the state, even in areas where few, if any, other states have. So, for example, the state demands that firms with 50 or more workers provide a minimum of two hours training to its supervisors and managers on the subject of sexual harassment, with biannual retraining also mandated. Certainly, sexual harassment is a serious problem to be prevented, and potential liability employers are well-advised to avoid, but few states are as ready as California to jump into the task of specifying the details of private employers' executive training programs. In another illustration, the state has recently mandated that some employers display workplace notices to inform their workers and the public of hotlines set up to aid victims of human trafficking.

Employment Posters Have Changed for California Employers

It’s going to be a little more crowded on workplace bulletin boards across California this year. Last year, California’s legislature passed, and Governor Jerry Brown signed into law, over a dozen new laws affecting employers in the Golden State. A number of the new laws require changes to workplace posters and notices.

So California employers at the start of this year will continue to face the task of understanding and complying with federal workplace posting rules, and the large number of state employment law requirements which California already had that added to or differed from those in federal workplace requirements. But now, in addition, they will also have to cope with the state’s latest additions to California labor law posters. Most of the posting changes took effect January 1. Here’s a quick summary.

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) already requires employers in the state to notify workers of employers’ duties not to discriminate or harass on numerous grounds, including sex. Because of a recent enactment, employers must update this notice to note that sex-based discrimination in employment now includes discrimination due to breastfeeding and associated medical conditions. (Employers’ accommodation of nursing mothers in their workforce was also dealt with by a section of the Obama’s administration’s health care reform law; the US Department of Labor is responsible for setting rules and interpretations in the area.)

California’s anti-bias law was also amended to specify that employers’ duty not to discriminate on the basis of religious observances and beliefs, and to make reasonable accommodation, extends to religious-based apparel and grooming. It now explicitly forbids separating employees from co-workers or members of the public as a reasonable accommodation.

Another new workplace posting mandate taking effect this year in California calls for retailers and manufacturers doing $100 million or more in the state to post notices giving information about requires the notice must be printed in English, Spanish and any third language most widely spoken in that county, and conspicuously displayed where it can be seen both by employees and the public. California’s Department of Justice is developing a model notice, which will have to be posted by April 1.

California’s minimum wage remains unchanged at $8.00, but employers operating in San Francisco saw the city’s minimum wage rise to $10.55 at the start of this year, which must be displayed on the mandatory workplace posting. San Francisco also requires employers to post notices on its law requiring paid sick leave for all workers in the city, including part-time and temporary workers, as well as a notice on the minimum amount employers there are required to spend on workers’ health care.

California employers must also continue to post notices on two Family Rights Act provisions, as well as notices on state workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, workers’ right to access medical records and exposure records, whistleblower protections, Cal-OSHA health and safety provisions (including no-smoking rules), emergency contact information, payday notices, and the availability of time off work to vote in elections.

California Labor Law Posters add More Rules and Regulations

Most people realize that the federal government has a set of labor laws that all businesses are supposed to follow.  The purpose of these laws is to make sure that the rights of the employees and the employers are protected.  If there were not laws in place, many businesses would take advantage of their employees in order to make sure they make as much money as possible.  Over the years the rules that businesses have to follow have changed.  It is the responsibility of all businesses to make sure that they have labor law posters in place that informs employees about the rights they have and where they can find out more information about these rights.  The posters also let employees know what they can do if they feel that they are not being treated in a fair and lawful way.

The fact that the federal government has set up labor laws will not surprise many people.  Most already realize that there is a federally mandated minimum wage and that businesses are not allowed to discriminate.  What will surprise many people is that the federal laws are not the only ones that businesses have to abide by.  Each state can also have their own labor laws and regulations that may actually exceed the mandate from the federal government.  In California, it is the responsibility of each business to not only have the federal labor laws on display, but they also need to have the California labor law posters on display as well. 

The California posters add several things to the rules that have been established by the federal government.  These include:

• Minimum Wage: The California minimum wage is actually higher than the federal minimum wage.
• Payday Notice:  Employers must provide a specific pay date for employees.  They also need to give a location where employees get paid.
• Emergency Phone Numbers: These show the phone numbers to call for emergency response.
• Workman’s Compensation Information: This tells employees what they are entitled to when they are hurt on the job and how to get it.
• Whistleblower protection: This describes the rights of employees who inform authorities if a company is not complying with the law.
• Unemployment Insurance: This lets employees know when they are eligible and what they are eligible for if they become unemployed.
• Time off to Vote: This lets employees know that they can be given time off of work to vote if necessary.
• Pregnancy leave: This describes the job protection that women who need time off due to a pregnancy are entitled to.

Some of the laws that are put in place in California are similar to the ones that are set by the federal government.   They are often times more strict and require the employer to do more for their employees.  It is possible that a business can be compliant with the federal laws and be out of compliance with the California laws.  If they do not follow the rules that are set forth by the federal government or the state of California, they can be fined.  The posters are only a part of following the rules.

Purchasing and Displaying California Labor Law Posters in the Workplace

California has its own set of rules and regulations when it comes to labor. Therefore, the United States Department of Labor has its own set of California Labor Law Posters. These are available on the U.S. DOL website, or through private companies. While the Department of Labor manages these posters at no charge, the private companies charge for ‘packets’ of required posters. Considering most are only $30 per packet, it’s sometimes worth it to get the complete set at once.

In the private sector, the bundled California Labor Law Posters come in a variety of languages. They also come in a mixed variety. This is important because depending on the work environment, one or more language may be required for posting. The most important thing, however, is that these bundles cover the most up to date versions of all required posters under federal law. This will include OSHA, federal, and state regulations.

Here are some of the important California State Labor Laws that come in these bundled packages. You will receive notices regarding Minimum Wage, Discrimination, Unemployment, OSHA, and Paydays. Some insurance requirements are also included, such as Unemployment Insurance, State Disability Insurance, and Worker’s Compensation. Some medical posters are required and these packets include Family Rights Act (better known as Family Medical Leave Act or FMLA), California Health and Safety Protection, Smoking Policies, Access to Medical and Exposure Records, and the California No Smoking Poster. Other State level posters include Time Off to Vote, Emergency Phone Numbers, and the Whistle Blower Protection Act.

In addition to the California State Labor Law Posters, these bundled packets also include many of the required federal law posters. These include the Equal Opportunity Employment Law, Federal Minimum Wage, Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and OSHA. Other lesser known but equally important federal posters are FMLA, Anti-discrimination, Employee Polygraph Protection Act, and Withholding Notice. These are still vitally important to the legal protection of employers and employees alike.

California law, above and beyond most other states, actually requires that the employer fill out key points on some of their California State Labor Law Posters. For example, on the Worker’s Compensation Labor Law Poster you must fill in the name of your Insurance Company and your Account ID with that carrier. The Paid Disability Leave Act Poster must have contact information for the Human Resources person responsible for this notification. On the Emergency Information Poster you must enter local Fire and Rescue names and addresses, as well as hospitals, police, OSHA, and doctor’s offices. Along with that, the Access to Medical and Exposure Records Regulation Poster must show who is responsible for maintaining the records regarding employees’ files, and the location where these files are stored. Finally, on the Pay Day Notice Poster, the day/date and frequency of payments must be updated regularly, or with any changes.

Most of the sites offering these bundles also have other bundles such as Sexual Discrimination packets and OSHA packets. Remember, it’s best to get at least one packet for each language spoken in your establishment.

Standard Guide to Basic California Labor Laws

As you may have noticed if you ever paid any attention to the labor law posters which are covering a wall at your place of work, there are various topics of importance which are covered, such as worker’s compensation and discrimination. When it comes to California, it has earned a reputation amongst people as being a state which has put in place countless laws benefitting the employees more than the employers. Indeed, in addition to the federal labor law posters the California labor law posters cover practically every topic related to work that you could think of, including safety, health and employee rights. If you are going to go into some type of business in that state, you should keep in mind that in addition to the afore-mentioned posters there will also be other ones which are applicable only to the specific business that you are planning to run. For example, if you plan opening up a doctor’s office then you are going to have to perform a little search on the internet within your specialty to find which additional rules there are that you need to follow.

Some of the topics which are addressed wherever you go include discrimination, injuries sustained during work, safety and health regulations while on the job, unemployment insurance and benefits, emergency information as well as minimum wage policies (these change from time to time depending on the state’s economic situation, meaning that it would be imperative to keep up with this policy). Apart from that, there is also the IWC Wage Order which is basically there to inform workers on the type of salary they will get as well as their working conditions and the amount of hours that they need to complete.

As mentioned before, simply having these posters up is not going to be good enough, especially for inspectors. You need to make sure that you are keeping these posters up to date seeing as how failure to do so will result in quite a hefty fine. The laws which you especially need to pay attention to are the minimum wage laws, and the ones concerning health and safety regulations on the workplace; they are the ones revised most frequently and as such should be checked upon most often. If you want to find these posters, you have the option of either turning to a company which sells these premade posters, or doing a little search yourself in order to find government websites which are dedicated to these posters.