labor lawAdivision of labor law center

As the year draws to a close, every employer should take the opportunity to update his or her labor law posters.

There are a number of changes to the 2008 labor law posters that every employer needs to be aware of.

During the past year, the federal minimum wage was increased for the first time in a decade. Under the long-awaited   Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, the federal minimum wage went from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour. The state minimum wage in at least 10 states increased on the same day, as a result.

Another increase of 70 cents is slated on July 24, 2008. This will increase the federal minimum wage from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour. A number of state minimum wages will automatically increase at that time, as well.

The year 2007 saw a number of other changes in labor laws that required employers to update their posters.

Ohio instituted a tough new ban on smoking in the workplace, requiring employers to post no-smoking signs at all entrances.

In other changes, Washington, Oregon, West Virginia, Illinois, Maine, Texas, Utah, Virginia, South Dakota, North Dakota, North Carolina, New Hampshire and others introduced higher state minimum wages in 2007.

Alaska enacted a change to the state Child Labor Laws making it illegal for people under 19 to sell cigarettes. Under state law, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 19 to buy cigarettes. However, until October, it was perfectly legal for teens to work in a gas station or convenience store where they sold cigarettes. The change was motivated in part by a concern that unsupervised teens might be selling cigarettes to friends who were underage.

Each of these changes requires that employers update their 2008 labor law posters, if they haven’t already.

There are a number of additional labor law changes that go into effect with the new year. In Illinois, a tough new law bans smoking in virtually every workplace, including restaurants, bars and casinos.

At least 14 states will increase the minimum wage on January 1, 2008. These include:  

                                 2007               2008 

Arizona                      $6.75              $6.90

California                    $7.50              $8.00

Colorado                    $6.85              $7.02

Delaware                     $6.65              $7.15

Florida                        $6.65              $6.79

Iowa                           $6.20              $7.25

Massachusetts             $7.50              $8.00

Missouri                      $6.50              $6.65

Montana                      $6.15              $6.26

New Mexico                  $5.15              $6.50

Oregon                        $7.80              $7.95

Washington                  $7.93            $8.07

In addition, a number of states have minimum wage increases slated for later in the year, which will require employers to update the 2008 labor law posters yet again. For example, the Illinois minimum wage will increase from $7.50 per hour to $7.75 per hour on July 1, 2008.

On July 1, 2008 the West Virginia minimum wage will increase from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour. The Kentucky minimum wage will increase from $5.58 to $6.55 on July 1, 2008. On that same date, the Michigan minimum wage will increase from $7.15 to $7.40 per hour, and the Pennsylvania minimum wage will increase from $6.25 to $7.15 per hour.

A tough new Illinois smoking ban goes into effect on January 1, 2008 as well.

Each of these changes will require employers in the state to display new 2008 labor law posters. Employers who are not sure how their labor law posters have changed can get up-to-date information on all 50 states at www.laborlawcenter.com.

In addition, this handy site features specific listings of 2008 labor law posters for nearly every state.

Several other states, including Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana and Utah will increase the state minimum wage on July 24, 2008 when the new federal rate of $6.55 per hour is introduced. Most of these states have legislation that ties the state minimum wage to the federal rate. Some areas, such as Washington D.C., peg the minimum wage to a set amount above the federal minimum wage. In D.C., the minimum wage is $1.00 per hour more than the state rate, so the minimum wage will increase to $7.55 per hour in July.

Employers who fail to update their 2008 labor law posters can be fined for the violations. By law, every employer must prominently display the posters in an area where they can be seen by all employees. Locations near the time clock or in the break room are popular.

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