Archive for November, 2015

Mandatory Change to Rhode Island’s Minimum Wage Notice

  • 30th November 2015

The Rhode Island Department of Labor updated the Minimum Wage posting. Effective January 1, 2016, the minimum wage will increase to $9.60 per hour and $7.20 for tipped employees. The posting also provides a new section for employees receiving gratuities, which is $3.39 per hour. There has also been minor changes to punctuation usage and the revision date has been updated.

Effective date: 1/1/2016

The Osha4less.com Rhode Island All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new mandatory change on the required postings.

ri-a1-pe_2

Mandatory Change to California’s Notice to Employees – Injuries Caused By Work Notice

  • 23rd November 2015

The California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation has updated the Notice to Employees – Injuries Caused by Work posting. Workers’ compensation benefits under Medicare has been revised to include coverage on medical equipment and travel costs that are reasonably necessary to cover or treat the injury. There are limits on chiropractic, physical therapy and occupational therapy visits. Benefits under the Permanent Disability (PD) clause have been revised to state: “Payments if you do not recover completely and your injury causes a permanent loss of physical or mental function that a doctor can measure.” Benefits under Supplemental Job Displacement have been shortened and revised to state: “A nontransferable voucher, if you are injured on or after 1/1/2004, your injury causes permanent disability, and your employer does not offer you regular, modified, or alternative work.” The Return to Work Fund clause has been deleted from the updated posting. The verbiage under Death Benefits has been slightly reworded. The verbiage under Naming Your Own Physician Before Injury or Illness clause has also been slightly reworded and re-formatted. The Report Your Injury clause has been revised to include “claims administrator” with employers, and the term “shall authorize” has been replaced with “must authorize,” in addition to minor format changes. See Your Primary Treating Physician clause has been reworded and reformatted; “MPN” has also been defined within the clause. The Medical Provider Networks clause has also been slightly reworded; additionally, the new posting does not specify that employers need to post a notice explaining how MPN works if the employer is using a MPN. The fill-able fields for information on employer’s MPN has been modified. Specifically, the toll-free number number and address fields have been removed and replaced with a MPN identification field. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California URL has been removed; there is now only one URL provided in which you may learn more information about DWC and DLSE. The revision date has also been updated.

Effective date: 1/1/2016

The Osha4less.com California All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new mandatory change on the required postings.

ca-a1-pe

Mandatory Change to California’s Cal OSHA Notice

  • 19th November 2015

The California Department of Industrial Relations has updated the California Safety and Health Protection on the Job posting. Previously, employers are required to notify the nearest Cal/OSHA office of any serious injury or fatality; however, “illness” has been added to the list. The address for the Headquarters in Santa Ana, CA has been removed from the Cal/OSHA Consultation Services section. The revision date has also been updated.

Effective date: 10/22/2015

The Osha4less.com California All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new mandatory change on the required postings.

ca-a1-pe

Oregon’s New Paid Sick Leave Law, Effective January 1, 2016

  • 18th November 2015

Governor Kate Brown signed the Senate Bill 454 on June 22, 2015. The law requires all employers (with limited exceptions) within the State of Oregon to implement “sick time” (up to 40 hours per year), whether paid or unpaid, for employees beginning January 1, 2016.

Accruing hours:  Oregon Law Chapter 537, Section 3, 2015, provides in part: “(1)(a) Employers that employ at least 10 employees working anywhere in this state shall implement a sick time policy that allows an employee to earn and use up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year. Paid sick time shall accrue at the rate of at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours the employee works or 1-1/3 hours for every 40 hours the employee works. (b) Employers that employ fewer than 10 employees working anywhere in this state shall implement a sick time policy that allows an employee to earn and use up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time per year. Unpaid sick time shall accrue at the rate of at least one hour of unpaid sick time for every 30 hours the employee works or 1-1/3 hours for every 40 hours the employee works. (c) Employers that employ at least 10 employees working anywhere in this state and front-load for employees at least 40 hours of paid sick time or paid time off at the beginning of each year used to calculate the accrual and usage of sick time or time off need not comply with subsections (1)(a) and (3) of this section.”

The Bureau of Labor and Industries is still in the process of finalizing the Proposed Rules. Employers will be required to give notice of the requirements of Oregon Law Chapter 537 as provided under OAR 839-007-0050 of the Proposed Rules.

Recommended Changes to West Virginia’s Humans Right Act and Fair Housing Act and Parental Leave Notices

  • 18th November 2015

Human Right Act and Fair Housing Act

The West Virginia Human Rights Act and Fair Housing Act posting has been updated with a slightly new layout. The term “Handicap” has been replaced with “Disability.” A Toll Free number and Website URL has been added to the contacts section.

Effective date: 1/15/2015

Parental Leave

The West Virginia Division of Labor updated their Parental Leave Act posting to reflect minor formatting changes. The term “Parental Leave” has been un-bolded. The West Virginia logo has also been updated.

Effective date: 7/7/2015

The Osha4less.com West Virginia All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new recommended change on the required postings.

wv-a1-pe_1_1

What happens if my business is not in compliance with labor law postings?

  • 17th November 2015

The United States Department of Labor requires that certain posters and/or notices be posted in the workplace. Failure to post a required state or federal labor law posting may subject the employer to citations and penalties. Fines vary by agency; therefore, failing to post a number of posting can cause those fines to add up.

The following is a list of examples for fines that may be assessed for failure to display a required posting:
  • The OSHA Job Safety and Health: It’s the Law poster – OSHA’s regulation, at 29 CFR 1903.2(d) provides that: “Any employer failing to comply with the provisions of this section shall be subject to citation and penalty in accordance with the provisions of section 17 of the Act.” Such violation may amount up to $7,000 for each violation (up to $70,000 for continued violations).
  • Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster – The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 provides at Sec. 6(a)(2) that: “any employer who violates any provision of this Act may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $10,000.”
  • Your Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act – The U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division may impose a civil money penalty of up to $110 (for each offense) for willful failure to post.

Required postings vary across industries; therefore, the above is far from a comprehensive list. Each state requires a different set of postings (in addition to some federal postings). The amount of the penalty may not always be evident on the posting. Often times, penalties are assessed on a per-basis offense, whereas other times there is a maximum amount the fine may be assessed.

Mandatory Change to Missouri’s Minimum Wage

  • 17th November 2015

The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has updated their Minimum Wage notice. The minimum wage for the state of Missouri will continue to be $7.65 for the year 2016. The updated notice includes a new phone number to contact the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and an updated revision date.

The Osha4less.com Missouri All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new recommended change on the required postings.

mo-a1-pe_2

Recommended Changes to Wisconsin’s Minimum Wage, Workers with Disabilities, Family and Medical Leave Act, Layoff Notice, Hours & Days Minors May Work, and Health Care – Cessation Benefits Notices

  • 11th November 2015

Minimum Wage

Wisconsin’s Minimum Wage posting has been updated to reflect minor formatting changes to include, but not limited to: formatting the title in capital letters, adding a comma in the address, and adding in two logos.

Effective Date: 10/21/2015

Workers with Disabilities

Wisconsin’s Workers with Disability posting has been updated to reflect a change to the posting’s code located near the revision date.

Effective Date: 10/21/2015

Family and Medical Leave Act

Wisconsin’s Family and Medical Leave Act posting has been updated to reflect minor formatting changes such as formatting the title in capital letters, adding a comma in the address, and removing the italicize from the 30 day filing criteria.

Effective Date: 10/21/2015

Layoff Notice

Wisconsin’s Layoff Notice posting has been updated to reflect minor formatting changes and adding the word “or” within the “business closing” description.

Effective Date: 10/21/2015

Hours & Days Minors May Work

Wisconsin’s Hours & Days of Work Minors May Work posting has been updated to reflect a minor formatting change; “Weekly Hours” under “Maximum Hours of Work for 14 & 15 year-old minors” is now underlined.

Effective Date: 10/21/2015

Health Care – Cessation Benefits

Wisconsin’s Health Care – Cessation of Benefits posting has been updated to reflect minor formatting changes. The first paragraph is now in bold and the address unbolded.

Effective Date: 10/21/2015

The Osha4less.com Wisconson All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new recommended change on the required postings.

wi-a1-pe_2

Recommended Changes to Kansas’ Equal Employment Opportunity and Fair Housing Notices

  • 11th November 2015

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Kansas Human Rights Commission updated their Equal Employment Opportunity posting with an updated address for the Wichita Office location.

Effective date: 10/5/2015

Fair Housing

The Kansas Human Rights Commission updated their Fair Housing posting with an updated address for the Wichita Office location.

Effective date: 10/5/2015

The Osha4less.com  Kansas All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new recommended change on the required posting.

ks-a1-pe_2

Recommended Change to North Carolina’s Wage and Hour Notice

  • 10th November 2015

The North Carolina Department of Labor updated their Wage and Hour Notice to Employees to include a name change for their employment discrimination bureau. Additionally, there is an updated fax number and the Printed date of the posting and cost of print have also been revised.

Effective date: 6/17/2015

The Osha4less.com  North Carolina All-In-One State and Federal Poster has been updated to include this new recommended change on the required posting.

nc-a1-pe_2

1 of 2
12