labor lawAdivision of labor law center

It is especially important that employers update their 2008 Wyoming labor law posters. Each year brings a number of changes to the state labor laws, and this year certainly had more than its share, including a change to the federal minimum wage.

The updated list of 2008 Wyoming labor law posters is:

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

Employers are required to display each of these posters in a prominent location where they can be viewed by both employees and applicants.

In addition, all employers must display updated federal labor law posters including:

• 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

Labor law poster serve as a handy reminder for supervisors and employees alike.

They provide important information on the minimum wage, worker safety, medical leave and child labor laws.

Under both federal and state law, these posters must be updated each time there is a change in legislation.

A change in the federal minimum wage on July 24, 2007 required that the Federal Minimum Wage posters be updated. On that date, the federal minimum wage increased for the first time in more than a decade. The rate went from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour, an increase of 70 cents. 

From state to state, there is a wide range of overtime laws and rules governing the minimum wage for employees who receive tips. That’s why each state requires a different set of labor law posters.

The minimum wage for tipped employees varies broadly from one state to the next. So do the overtime laws. These are just some of the items that are covered on each state’s respective labor law posters. Here are a few outstanding examples.

Minimum wage laws for tipped workers like servers often simply follow the federal rate of $2.13 an hour. The idea is that employers need not pay the usual minimum wage because the workers are making up the difference in tips. This is the “tip credit” for employers.

Kentucky, Indiana, Nebraska, and other states follow the federal rate.

Some states offer just a little more than the federal rate:

• North Carolina, $2.43
• Wisconsin, $2.33
• Massachusetts, $2.63
• Michigan, $2.65

The minimum wage for tipped employees in Kansas is only $1.59.

At the opposite extreme, some states offer little or no tip credit. In these states, employees are paid the same minimum wage, or nearly the same minimum wage, as other workers. They include:

• Washington, none ($8.07 per hour wage starting January 1)
• Colorado, wage for tipped workers $8.07 per hour in 2008
• Hawaii, 25-cent tip credit, wage $7 per hour compared to usual $7.25

Some states allow employers very little tip credit. In other words, tipped workers get larger minimum wages – sometimes very close to the wages of workers who do not receive tips. For example, in the state of Washington, there is no tip credit, so workers will be getting $8.07 an hour starting January 1. In Colorado, tipped workers will receive $4.00 an hour in 2008. In Hawaii, employers get only a 25-cent an hour tip credit. In other words, tipped workers get $7 an hour rather than the regular $7.25. But in Michigan, tipped employees receive a minimum wage of just $2.65 an hour.

Under federal overtime law, workers get 1.5 times their normal pay for any hour over 40. Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Arizona, and Georgia are among states with no laws of their own. They’re covered by federal law, which does not guarantee minimum wage for every kind of worker, regardless of number of hours worked.

When you think of hazards in the workplace, you probably think of faulty scaffolding, dangerous machinery or tanker truck explosions. Yet, the most common hazard in the workplace is far more mundane.

Wet floors and crowded hallways are two of the main causes of slips, trips, and falls in the workplace.

Cleaning up and posting an updated Wyoming  Slips Trips Falls Poster are ways employers can enhance safety and comply with revised Delaware OSHA standards.

Slips, trips, and falls are a more serious source of injury than is often realized. According to OSHA – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration – slips, trips, and falls follow only motor vehicle accidents as a cause of death. They represent 15% of all accidental deaths, and are probably the number one accident issue in industry generally.

Most of the frequently ignored guidelines for preventing slips, trips, and falls, involve cleanup, or simple housekeeping. According to OSHA, workplaces – specifically storerooms, service rooms, and passageways, must be kept clean and orderly.

Here are some of the OSHA workplace housekeeping standards:

• The floors of all workrooms must be kept clean, and dry wherever possible. Where the work involves what are called “wet processes,” drainage is required, along with mats, raised platforms, or gratings.
• All passageways, floors, and work spaces generally must be kept free of certain objects – splinters, nails, holes, and loose boards.
• Aisles and passages must be kept repaired and clear. No potentially hazardous obstructions are allowed.
• Permanent passageways and aisles must be appropriately marked.
• Aisles must be wide enough to accommodate mechanical handling equipment.
• There must be room enough for two people to pass.

A way for employees to cope with these kinds of accidents is to prominently post a Slips Trips Falls Poster – brought up to date to reflect the recent Wyoming OSHA standards. The poster reminds employees to clean up after each spill. A solid safety awareness policy is critical. 

We’ve all heard about the Wild Wild West. But those days are gone for the most part. Sure, in far out places like Wyoming, they still have dude ranches and cowboys, they still wrangle cattle and ride on the open prairie, but at the same time, all of those employees at the dude ranch and all of those cowboys are protected by the state’s employment law, not to mention the employment laws of the federal government way back east in Washington, D.C.

In comes the Wyoming Labor Law Posters then. These posters are the representative and symbol of all of the rights that employees have in the state, and employers must post them in the work sites in a very open and accessible place for this very reason. It’s a declaration of their, the employers’, commitment to following the rules of the land when it comes to treatment of employees and working conditions and pay.

In these Wyoming Labor Law Posters, the postings include the six on federal rules and regulations for employment. These should all be very familiar to us after weeks of discussing them here in this blog. But just in case, here you go again:

There is the Family and Medical Leave Act posting, the minimum wage posting, the Polygraph Protection posting, the OSHA posting, the USERRA posting for armed servicemen employees, and the Equal Employment Opportunity posting.

There are also five mandatory postings in the Wyoming Labor Law Posters on state rules and regulations on employment and labor laws. These include a whole different set of postings in the Wyoming Labor Law Posters than those previously mentioned, including the state OSHA posting, the unemployment insurance posting, the minimum wage posting, the workers’ comp posting, and the discrimination posting. All told, those 11 postings must be included in the Wyoming Labor Law Posters, no matter how far West or Wild the employers may be.

In Wyoming we have a lot of laws that pertain to pour workers and to our employers in order to keep everyone happy and treated fairly.  It is simple to think that everyone does exactly as they should and that no one would break the law, nut that does not occur.  That is where a Wyoming State Mandatory Poster comes in.  It helps to keep you as an employer out of trouble with the labor board as well as keeping your employees aware of the situation and in the know of what laws are and what entitlements they may have as employees.  These posters will explain a multitude of things to your employees and will also keep you as an employer aware of what you are required to do and provide for your employees. Not only are these posters helpful they are required.   Without them you will be in violation with the labor board.  Not only must you have a Wyoming State Mandatory Poster, but it must be posted and it must also contain all of the current required laws on it. 

In Wyoming there are certain things that must be present on your Wyoming State Mandatory Poster.  These items are OSHA, Worker’s Compensation, Minimum Wage, Discrimination Notice and Unemployment Insurance.  These are all items that highlight the benefits and rights of employees in our state.  It is a way to keep employees aware and informed of what they may have.  It is also a way to keep the employers aware of what they must provide in order to maintain be in compliance with the current labor laws. 

Remember that the poster is not optional and that you are required to have one posted in all workplaces.  However it must be current for all employees to see.  Without meeting these criteria you will put yourself in trouble with the labor board and could find yourself facing fines or worse simply because of your Wyoming State Mandatory Poster.

When it comes time to keep company personnel current on Wyoming law, now may be an excellent time for employers and employees to check the Wyoming Posters on display at the place of business or worksite. With this, information would show if any changes need to be made or if any laws have changed that would make it necessary to update the posters. An important note – it is the employer’s responsibility to make sure that the Wyoming Posters available to workers are the most up-to-date available.

I would like to start with some basic information about state and federal posting requirements for Wyoming Posters and let you know that current posters must be displayed in an area where employees usually meet or gather on a regular basis, such as the break room or lunchroom. In addition to the latest posters providing necessary information to employees, they also help the employer be prepared for a labor inspection if Wyoming Posters would happen to be the focus of a labor inspection.

State posting requirements for Wyoming Posters include OSHA – Health and Safety Protection, Workers’ Compensation, Discrimination Notice, Minimum Wage, and Unemployment Insurance. As an example of the need to have current and accurate posters on display, Wyoming requires notice of job safety and health information and notice of discrimination rules that are in addition to federal law and may have some slight differences from the laws that apply in all states. This would be important information for all employees and current Wyoming Posters can help pass this on to all workers.

On the federal list 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 & Health Protection. Among the items on this list, the USERRA requirement is somewhat new, which refers to those who want to serve in the military but may not want to make a career of it. The law defines under what circumstances they can return to their civilian job after their military service in the armed forces, reserves, or National Guard has ended.

Laws can and do change, and Wyoming Posters are meant to inform employees about specific labor rights. Therefore, any modified information and/or requirements would need to be passed on to the employees through various Wyoming Posters. If laws specific to changes for minimum wage or family leave would change, for example, this information would need to be provided. Although a company may have several means for disseminating information to employees and managers, having up-to-date Wyoming Posters where they are conveniently located and easily seen is essential.