Labor Law Poster Requirements

Some federal and state laws require employers to provide notice of employment laws to employees (and in some instances applicants) by posting labor law posters in the workplace so that employees are informed of their employment rights. If a ministry has one or more paid employees, then most likely the ministry will be required to post some labor law posters.

Federal Labor Law Posters

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provides a number of resources to assist employers—including churches and ministries—in determining what federal employment laws apply to their organizations. These resources also help employers verify what labor law posters they are required to post in their workplaces.

FirstStep Employment Law Advisor and FirstStep Poster Advisor can help employers determine what federal employment laws administered by the DOL apply to their organization and what posters need to be displayed in the workplace.

To use the either of these online tools, ministry leaders simply need to answer a series of questions regarding their organization. Based on a series of questions:

• The FirstStep Employment Law Advisor will provide a list of employment laws that are most likely applicable to the organization.
• The FirstStep Poster Advisor will provide a list of federal laws that have poster requirements that are most likely applicable to the organization.

NOTE: These tools will not identify all requirements from all other federal agencies, such as the National Labor Relations Board and the National Mediation Board.

Where to find: State Posters

In addition to federal labor law poster requirements, ministry leaders also need to determine what state employment laws are applicable to their organization and what state labor law posters they need to post in their ministry’s workplace.

State employment laws and state labor law poster requirements vary from state to state. Ministry leaders should contact their state's department of labor or a labor law attorney to obtain information about the state labor laws that apply to their organization.

The U.S. Department of Labor website provides contact information and website information for each state’s department of labor office here.

Where to find: Federal Posters

The U.S. Department of Labor provides free electronic and printed versions of federal labor law posters. Many of the states’ department of labor websites also provide free electronic and printed versions of state labor law posters. Ministry leaders should visit their state’s department of labor website to see if their state offers any free labor law posters.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also provides free posters that emphasize occupational safety and health.

Failure to Display Posters

Organizations that do not have the appropriate state and federal labor law posters posted may be subject to citations, fines, penalties, and/ or damages from lawsuits.

Ministry leaders are encouraged to consult with a locally licensed attorney that specializes in employment law to determine all of the federal, state, and local employment laws that apply to their organization.