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Archives : 2009 : February
Iowa Job Safety and Health, Minimum Wage Posters Updated
February 26th, 2009The Iowa Job Safety and Health poster has been rewritten with new information for both employers and employees, while the state’s Minimum Wage poster has been updated with specific dollar amounts for certain types of employment
The mandatory Job Safety and Health poster issued by Iowa Workforce Development now states that employees have the right to copies of their medical records or records of their exposure to toxic and harmful substances and conditions.
In addition, the revised poster states that employers must post any OSHA citations for at least three working days and must certify that hazards specified on an OSHA citation have been reduced or eliminated.
A new phone number for reporting workplace fatalities and catastrophes has been added to the poster.
The updated poster also states that employers may obtain free assistance from Iowa OSHA Consultation in identifying and correcting hazards or for complying with standards, without citation or penalty, by contacting the Iowa Division of Labor.
All specific information from the previous Safety and Health poster about penalties for violations, including dollar amounts, has been deleted. Contact information for both the Iowa Division of Labor Services and the U.S. Department of Labor has been changed on the revised poster.
The updated Minimum Wage poster now states that employers may pay an initial employment rate of $6.35 per hour for the first 90 calendar days of employment. The previous poster said only “less than the minimum wage” for this period and did not give a dollar amount.
The poster has also been revised to state that the employer’s share for tipped employees must be at least $4.35 per hour instead of the percentage rate (40 percent of the applicable minimum wage) that was on the previous poster.
Revised Discrimination Poster Issued for Nevada
February 26th, 2009A revised mandatory workplace poster has been issued that includes new definitions for those who are subject to Nevada’s laws prohibiting discrimination.
The poster issued by the Nevada Equal Rights Commission now states that employers and businesses offering services to the public may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex (gender and/or orientation), religion or disability.
In addition, the revised poster now states that landlords may not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or familial status.
The previous poster stated that Nevada law prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing. Familial status has been added as a prohibited discrimination category for landlords.
A paragraph in the previous poster stating that the Nevada Equal Rights Commission works in cooperation with a number of federal agencies in the administration and referral of discrimination complaints has also been removed.
A web site for the Nevada Equal Rights Commission has also been added to the revised poster.
Revisions Made to North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Poster
February 26th, 2009The Workers’ Compensation poster for North Carolina has been rewritten to include new requirements for employers and their employees who suffer a work-related injury or occupational disease.
The mandatory poster states that employees should immediately file a claim with the North Carolina Industrial Commission for any work-related injury or occupational disease. The term “occupational disease” replaces “work-related illness” on the previous workers’ compensation poster.
North Carolina employers must ensure that compensation is promptly paid under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act, according to the revised workplace poster.
Notification requirements for both employers and employees who are injured on the job or suffer an occupational disease have been clarified on the updated poster.
In addition, two help line telephone numbers and an Industrial Commission website have been added to the updated poster. One help line is for employees seeking assistance from the Commission and one is for employers seeking information about workplace safety education and training.
New Minimum Wage Included in Updated Ohio Labor Law Poster
February 26th, 2009A revised labor law poster issued by the Ohio Department of Commerce includes an increase in the state’s minimum wage from $7 per hour to $7.30 per hour effective Jan 1, 2009.
Ohio’s minimum wage is adjusted for inflation every January 1.
The mandatory poster also includes an increase for tipped employees – from a minimum wage of $3.50 per hour to $3.65 per hour.
Employers who gross less than $267,000 annually shall pay no less than the current federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour (to increase to $7.25 per hour on July 24, 2009), according to the revised poster. Those rates are now included in the “Non-Tipped Employees” section of the poster.
The previous poster said employers who gross less than $255,000 annually were required to pay the current federal minimum wage rate.
Maryland Updates Labor Law Poster to Include New Recordkeeping Requirements
February 24th, 2009A revised Equal Pay for Equal Work poster includes a new requirement that Maryland employers keep records of employees’ racial classification and gender in addition to the existing categories of wages and job classifications.
The Maryland Commissioner of Labor may analyze the records to determine any pay disparity among employees.
New Colorado Minimum Wage Included in Revised Labor Law Poster
February 24th, 2009A mandatory labor law poster issued by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment includes an increase in the state’s minimum wage from $7.02 per hour to $7.28 per hour effective July 1, 2009.
The Colorado minimum wage is adjusted annually for inflation at the end of each year and goes into effect on January 1 of the next year.
Colorado’s Minimum Wage Order 25 Poster also includes an increase in the minimum wage for tipped employees – from $4 an hour to $4.26 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2009. An address and fax number that were included in the previous minimum wage poster have been deleted from the revised version.
New Minimum Wage Included in Revised Arizona labor law poster
February 24th, 2009Arizona has increased its minimum wage from $6.90 per hour to $7.25 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2009.
The new minimum wage, which is adjusted every January 1 by any increase in the cost of living, is included in a mandatory labor law poster issued by the Industrial Commission of Arizona.
Arizona has also revised its mandatory Unemployment Insurance poster to include a new section stating that the Arizona Department of Economic Security prohibits discrimination. The poster also includes a new TTY/TDD phone number for the hearing impaired.
New Minimum Wage Included in Updated Oregon Labor Law Poster
February 24th, 2009An increase in Oregon’s minimum wage from $7.95 per hour to $8.40 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009 is included in a mandatory labor law poster issued by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.
The 2009 minimum wage increase is the result of a ballot measure passed by Oregon voters in 2002. That measure requires an annual minimum wage adjustment to be made each September for the following calendar year based on any changes in the U.S. Consumer Price Index.
In addition to the new minimum wage rate, the revised poster clarifies which employees must be paid overtime. It also includes information about a new requirement for certain employers to provide additional rest periods to employees to express milk for a child.
A new No Smoking poster has also been added to the list of mandatory workplace postings for Oregon employers. The new poster is required by amendments to the Oregon Smokefree Workplace Law passed in 2007.
Most Oregon businesses must be smoke free and smoking is not allowed within 10 feet of the building under the new law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2009.
New Jersey Employers Must Post New Family Leave Benefits Poster
February 24th, 2009New Jersey employers must display a new poster concerning Family Leave Insurance provisions of the state’s Temporary Disability Benefits Law that provide for payments beginning on July 1, 2009.
New Jersey will provide up to six weeks of Family Leave Insurance benefits for covered employees to bond with newborns or newly adopted children and to care for a family member with a serious health condition.
The new law allows for the bonding with a child during the first 12 months after the child’s birth, if the covered employee or the domestic partner or civil union partner of the employee is a biological parent of the child.
The law also allows for family leave during the first 12 months after the placement of a child for adoption with the covered employee.
Benefits will be provided through a New Jersey State Plan or an employer-provided private plan approved by the state’s Division of Temporary Disability Insurance.
Under the state plan, employers have been authorized to deduct contributions from wages of covered employees beginning Jan. 1 of this year. These deductions must be noted on the employee’s pay envelope, paycheck or some other form of notice.
