National Labor Relations Act Employee Rights Poster

By: James P. Ziegler

Most employee lunch rooms or general work areas in Illinois have a wall dedicated to posters required by various State and Federal Laws. Currently those posters may include a notice regarding employee rights under the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, (OSHA), the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Act, notices required by the Illinois Department of Labor regarding minimum wages, the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act regarding minimum wages, the Federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, Workers Compensation, and the Illinois Department of Employment Security regarding unemployment compensation. Starting April 30, 2012 a new poster must join the others on that wall for almost all employers.

The Federal National Labor Relations Act guarantees the rights of employees to organize and bargain collectively. It specifies what types of activities are permitted by both employees and employers and what is not permitted. On April 30, 2012 most employers will be required to display a poster that advises their employees of their rights under this Act. You may obtain a copy of this new poster at https://www.nlrb.gov/poster. This poster must be 11 X 17 inches and can be either black and white or in color. Under certain circumstances employers must obtain a poster in foreign languages depending on the languages spoken by their employees. Generally if at least 20% of a business's employees are not proficient in English and speak another language, then the employer must also provide notice in that other language. Translations are available on the National Labor Relations Board's web site.