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October 5, 2008    DOL Home > elaws Advisors > FirstStep Poster Advisor
elaws - employment laws assistance for workers and small businesses - FirstStep Poster Advisor

You have requested information regarding the following Poster(s):

The poster is required under the following law(s):

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

The FLSA establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments. The FLSA requires employers to pay covered nonexempt employees a minimum wage of not less than $5.85 per hour effective July 24, 2007; $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008; and $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. For more information see the Wage and Hour Basic Information Fact Sheet.

An employee may be covered by the FLSA in two ways: "enterprise coverage" and "individual coverage." For more detail on FLSA coverage, see Wage and Hour Division Fact Sheet #14: Coverage Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Special rules apply to state and local government employment involving fire protection and law enforcement activities, volunteer services, and compensatory time off instead of cash overtime pay.

Some employees are exempt from overtime pay or both the minimum wage and overtime pay. Because exemptions are generally narrowly defined under the FLSA, an employer should carefully check the exact terms and conditions for each. Detailed information is available from the local Wage and Hour Division office

The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor administers and enforces the FLSA with respect to private employment, state and local government employment, and federal employees of the Library of Congress, U.S. Postal Service, Postal Rate Commission, and Tennessee Valley Authority.  The U.S. Office of Personnel Management administers the provisions of the FLSA with respect to any person employed by a Federal agency. 

Poster Requirements

Every employer of employees subject to the FLSA’s minimum wage provisions must post, and keep posted, a notice explaining the Act in a conspicuous place in all of their establishments. Although there is no size requirement for the poster, employees must be able to readily read it. The FLSA poster is also available in Spanish, Russian and in Chinese. There is no requirement to post the poster in languages other than English.

Covered employers are required to post the general Fair Labor Standard's Act poster; however, certain industries have posters designed specifically for them.  Agricultural Employees (PDF) and State & Local Government Employees (PDF) can either post the general Fair Labor Standards Act poster or their specific industry poster.  There are also posters for American Samoa (PDF) and Northern Mariana Islands (PDF).  Every employer who employs workers with disabilities under special minimum wage certificates is also required to post the Employee Rights for Workers with Disabilities/Special Minimum Wage Poster.

DOL Contacts

Employment Standards Administration (ESA), Wage and Hour Division
Contact WHD
Tel: 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243); TTY: 1-877-889-5627


For questions on other DOL laws, please call DOL's Toll-Free Help Line at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Live assistance is available in English and Spanish, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Additional service is available in more than 140 languages through a translation service.

 



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