Last summer, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that businesses that fall under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)—and that means most private employers—will be required to display a new poster in a prominent place for employees to see. The poster states that employees have the right to form unions, to work together toward better wages and working conditions, and to bargain collectively.

“It’s a new approach that is overtly favorable to union organization,” says Patricia Mathews, co-owner of HR consulting firm Workplace Solutions Pros. Mathews says that as many businesses have moved away from states with large unions, “Organized labor has lost a lot of ground.” The new poster is a national attempt to regain some of that ground.

Business owners who enjoy Florida’s right-to-work status should remember that “Unionization is most of the time due to poor management or lack of communication,” says Mathews. She has heard some lawyers advising businesses to use an additional poster to promote their positive work environments. This is also a good time to evaluate your current policies and see if there are any reasons your employees might be disgruntled.

The 11-inch-by-17-inch poster must be prominently posted on employee message boards; the new poster will also need to be posted online if companies routinely update policies over the Internet. If at least 20 percent of employees speak a language other than English, the poster must be displayed in both languages. The new rule is scheduled to take effect on April 30. Current legal challenges may postpone the effective date; visit nlrb.gov to stay updated.

 

METRIC

10,600

No. of people employed by Sarasota County’s top 100 nonprofits.

SOURCE: Community Foundation of Sarasota. Does not include any government organizations, community foundations or nonprofit associations.

Overheard

“Eighty percent of Apple’s revenues comes from products that didn’t exist five years ago.”

Salim Ismail, speaking at Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Better Together luncheon at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, Feb. 17, 2012.