2015 was an action-packed year for labor law posting changes – largely due to a sweep of state-level legal developments. Specifically, there were 64 mandatory labor law changes across 37 states.
Depending on your state, you may now be required to post up to 21 labor law notices (which includes the six mandatory federal postings). These state-issued postings cover issues such as paid sick leave, minimum wage, pregnancy accommodations and safety in the workplace.
Here’s a quick summary of the key state posting changes in 2015:
Minimum wage*
State-specific increases over the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.
States Affected: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia
South Dakota and Washington also had increased but didn’t require minimum wage postings
OSHA recordkeeping
Updates to state OSHA posters incorporating new federal OSHA recordkeeping requirements for work-related accidents and fatalities
States Affected: Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Washington
Pregnancy accommodations
Laws targeting pregnancy discrimination and clarifying employer responsibilities with reasonable accommodations
States Affected: District of Columbia, Delaware, Illinois, Rhode Island
Paid sick leave
Laws granting paid sick leave based on the number of hours worked or on a “per year” basis
States Affected: Massachusetts, California
State posting compliance is becoming increasingly complex. Currently, there are approximately 175 different agencies responsible for issuing more than 370 posters – and there’s no “one-stop-shop” for securing these government posters. Plus, you’re required to post both state and federal postings, even if they address the same topic or cover conflicting information. This is because states have the right to pass laws granting more employee protections than federal law, as indicated in the list above.
Help is available. With a service like Poster Guard® Compliance Protection, you can be certain you’re up to date with all required federal and state labor law postings. Backed by an expert legal team, Poster Guard Compliance Protection provides 365 days of hassle-free labor law posting compliance – guaranteed.
Curious what’s next? For a look ahead at potential posting changes in 2016, go here.
