October 2011: Labor Union Notification

Starting November 14, 2011, most all private sector employers will be required to post a notice informing their employees of their right to join a union.  This ruling exempts employers in the following classifications: agricultural, railroad, airline, and political subdivisions.  The requirement also exempts very small employers that conduct an insufficient volume of business to have more than a slight effect on interstate commerce.  In the case of retail businesses, including home construction, the ruling covers any employer with annual gross sales of $500,000 or more.  On nonretail establishments the jurisdiction is based upon the amount of sales and services out of state and/or purchases from out of state.  The standard for these nonretail establishments is different depending upon the type of industry you are in with the standards ranging from $50,000 for some industries all the way up to id="mce_marker" million for others.  The notice must be posted in English and in another language if at least 20% of your employees are not proficient in English.  You can obtain more information on this notification or download a copy of the 11 x 17 inch notice from the National Labor Relations Board at www.nlrb.gov after October 1, 2011.