labor lawAdivision of labor law center

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

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

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

• Minimum Wage
• OSHA - Health and Safety Protection
• Unemployment Insurance
• Workers’ Compensation Insurance
• Sexual Harassment
• Emergency Information
• Child Labor

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

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

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

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.

These states will increase their minimum wage again in 2008 when the federal minimum gets another 70 cent boost. On July 24, 2008, the federal minimum will go from $5.85 to $6.55. The states that bumped their minimum wage with the previous federal increase will bump their minimum wage again.

Other states across the country enacted an increase to their state minimum wage during 2007. Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota and New Hampshire 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.

Alaska amended its Child Labor Laws regarding the buying and selling of cigarettes. The law already prohibited anyone under the age of 19 from buying cigarettes, but concern arose regarding teens working in gas stations and convenience stores that sell cigarettes. Part of the concern was that these teens when unsupervised might sell cigarettes to friends who were underage. The law was changed, therefore, to also prohibit anyone under the age of 19 from selling cigarettes.

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.

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, Arizona, Missouri, Montanan and Ohio. The lowest rate to be increased is in Montana, where the state minimum wage will increase from $6.15 per hour to $6.26. In Missouri and New Mexico, the state rate will go to $6.50.

After the increase, the nation’s highest minimum wage will be in Washington state, where the minimum wage will be $8.07 per hour. Both California and Massachusetts plan increases to $8.00 per hour, while the state rate in Oregon goes to $7.95.

Both state and federal law require that every employer prominently display the posters in an area where they can been 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.

As you may know, employers are required by law to have Alaska posters in the lunchroom, break room or a similar area where employees gather or meet on a regular basis, so that workers will understand their labor rights.  I want to give you some basic information about Alaska posters, providing the guidelines on when and where they should be displayed.

Alaska posters may be one of the items checked in a labor inspection.  Therefore, it is certainly in the interest of the employer to keep the information current.  In addition to the employer staying within state and federal guidelines, having the Alaska posters in a prominent place keeps employees advised of rights associated with employment.  Employers should understand that it is their responsibility to make sure the posters can be easily seen.  Not only that, but the employer is responsible for keeping posters current, since laws can and do change.  New information can be provided to employees by using the various Alaska posters. 

Okay, so what posters required?  The required Alaska posters list includes Minimum Wage, OSHA - Health and Safety Protection, Unemployment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Sexual Harassment, Emergency Information and Child Labor.  To meet federal requirements, the necessary posters are Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law, Federal Minimum Wage, Employee Polygraph Protection Act, OSHA-Job Safety & Health Protection, Family and Medical Leave Act and USERRA - Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. 

The USERRA poster requirement is new. This poster gives veterans and their employers the law pertaining to discrimination against armed services, National Guard, and reserve members.  This act, which became law in February 2005, ensures that members of the armed services can reclaim their civilian job after they are absent for military service.  Of course, this new requirement can be very important, making the USERRA information a key part of the Alaska posters displayed. 

A business may have more than one way to get this information to employees and their supervisors, but having current Alaska posters in the right location is essential.  It might be just the right time for the business and its workers to look at the Alaska posters at the job site to see if any information has changed or needs to be changed.  Laws applying to job safety, child labor and other areas may change and it is necessary for employers to provide the most current information.

As an employer in Alaska, you need to help keep your employees aware of their rights when it comes to labor laws and the best way to do this is to keep an updated Alaska poster of the labor laws posted in a visible area in the workplace.  This area can be an employee workroom or break room or any where else your employees might congregate or at least visit on a regular basis.

The Alaska posters are great for your employees because it helps them stay aware of their rights, but they are also very helpful for you because you can use them as a quick reference to help you know what your responsibilities are when it comes to labor laws in Alaska.  By displaying Alaska posters and keeping them current, everyone in the workplace will know what they are expected to do and not to do when it comes to Alaska labor laws.

Alaska posters should show the state laws including those involving minimum wage, OSHA – Health and Safety Protection, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, sexual harassment, emergency information and child labor.  Federal laws that need to be highlighted on Alaska posters are USERRA – Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law, Federal Minimum Wage, Employee Polygraph Protection Act, Family and Medical Leave Act and OSHA – Job Safety and Health Protection.

Labor laws change often and that includes the laws in Alaska.  If you already have posters in your workplace, you need to check them to make sure they are current since current Alaska posters help protect you and your employees as well as to give you and your employees the necessary protocol if there is a problem in the workplace as outlined by these laws.  Besides, it’s against the law to either not have Alaska posters or to have outdated posters posted in your workplace. 

As someone that lives or works in the state of Alaska, you should realize that there is a need for every employer within the state to provide Alaska State Mandatory Posters in their place of employment.  The Department of Labor, which provides crucial services to us as citizens of the state, requires that certain considerations be provided by these employers.  This poster provides us with information about what is legal and fair in our state.

For those of you that are employers, the Alaska State Mandatory Posters include information on Minimum Wage, OSHA, Unemployment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Sexual Harassment, Emergency Information and Child labor.  If your poster does not provide this information or is out of date, it is essential that you get the right product up and available to your employees prior to being cited by the Department of Labor.

Did you know that the minimum wage in Alaska is set at $7.15 per hour?  Did you know that you can work at most 8 hours per day and 40 per week until you earn overtime pay?  If you did not know this, chances are you do not have the correct Alaska State Mandatory Poster available to you.  This information is available right on these posters to provide you with the necessary information. 

The Department of Labor requires that each employer provide a complete, updated and easy to access Alaska State Mandatory Poster in their place of employment.  Insuring that you have the most up to date version is vital if you are an employer.  Not only must you have them displayed in your place of employment, as per the Department of Labor, but you also must insure that they are updated.  You should check back regularly to insure you have the accurate poster available to your employs.

Labor law posters for Alaska must be posted in workplaces throughout Alaska. These posters inform employees of all their rights and protections granted by both federal and state laws. These posters must be placed in an area where all employees have a good chance of seeing them.

There are four mandatory state topics that must be covered on the labor law posters for Alaska and one topic that is optional. The optional topic is the Summary for Alaska Child Labor Law. This topic provides information about the work restrictions and allowable hiring practices for minors. The other four topics that must be covered are the Summary of Alaska Wage and Hour Act, Emergency Information, It’s Your Right To Know – Safety and Health Protection on the Job, and Notice to Employees – Unemployment Insurance.

The federal government requires that eight topics be covered on the labor law posters for Alaska. The eight topics are the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, Federal Minimum Wage, an employee’s rights under The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Employer’s Notice of Insurance, Employee’s right to work in a safe and healthy environment, Equal Employment Opportunity, The Alaska human rights law and federal law against sexual harassment, and The Uniformed Services and Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).  

There are protocols in place to aid any worker who is not provided with the protections guaranteed on the labor law posters for Alaska. These labor law posters for Alaska also have the necessary information about what an employee, who is denied a right or protection, can do.

All of the above state and federal topics are required to be covered on labor law posters for Alaska. The posters must contain the most up to date information that is available. Failure by an employer to display the most current information in the appropriate areas is against the law.