2008 Iowa Labor Law Posters

December 13th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

It’s important that employers order their 2008 Iowa labor law posters soon. Both state and federal law require that the updated posters be displayed.

This is even more critical for Iowa employers, where the state’s minimum wage will increase on January 1, 2008 – making all existing labor law posters obsolete.

During 2007 many changes occurred to labor laws across the nation. As 2007 comes to an end, employers will need to update their labor law posters. Iowa employers are affected by these changes, and need to be aware of them.

Under state law, the officially required 2008 Iowa labor law posters are:

  • Minimum Wage Law
  • OSHA - Health and Safety Health Protection
  • Discrimination Notice
  • Unemployment Insurance
  • Workers’ Insurance

By law every Iowa employer is required to display these posters.

In addition, under federal law, employers must display these posters:

  • Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law
  • USERRA - Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
  • Federal Minimum Wage
  • Employee Polygraph Protection Act
  • Family and Medical Leave Act
  • OSHA-Job Safety & Health Protection

Both state and federal law require that every employer prominently display the posters in an area where they can be seen by every employee. Popular locations are a bulletin board, near the time clock or in the break room.

The most common reason for employers to update posters includes statute changes, especially to minimum wage laws. In just the past few months, employers in New Hampshire, Nevada and Maine have updated their labor law posters as the state minimum wages changed. The most recent increase was on October 1, 2007 when the New Hampshire minimum wage increased to $6.50 per hour.

A number of states across the country enacted an increase to their state minimum wage during 2007. Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah are among them.

Minimum wage wasn’t the only law that changed during 2007. Two states established new no-smoking bans. Illinois’s new law banned smoking in almost every work environment, including casinos, restaurants and bars. In Ohio, a tough new ban on smoking at work was also enacted. Businesses were then required to post new no-smoking signs at all entrances.

All of the changes that occurred during 2007, and those slated to occur in 2008 will require employers to update their labor law posters. If the posters are not updated, the employer could be fined.

A large number of changes over the year influenced the poster requirements. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 increased the federal minimum wage for the first time in close to a decade. Seventy cents was added to $5.15 to raise the minimum to $5.85 per hour. A number of states that connect their minimum wages to the federal minimum raised their minimum wages on that day, too.

On July 24, 2008, the federal minimum wage will go up again time from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour. Again, the states that bump their minimum wage when the federal rate rises, will increase their minimum wage rates on that day.

More than a dozen states will increase their minimum wages on January 1, 2008. These include Delaware, Oregon, Washington, California, Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Vermont, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Montana and Ohio. The lowest rate to be increased is in Montana, where the state minimum wage will increase from $6.15 per hour to $6.25. In Missouri and New Mexico, the state rate will go to $6.50.

Every one of these changes to the minimum wage requires that employers update their labor law posters. Employers who fail to do so can face a variety of fines and penalties, from agencies such as the U.S. Department of Labor, the EEOC and OSHA.

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Posted in Compliance Issues, Employer Requirements, Iowa, Labor Law Posters

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