Federal Contractors and Subcontractors to Post Union Rights Sign

Effective Monday, June 21, all federal contractors and subcontractors are required to post a notice titled “Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act” in conspicuous locations throughout their workplaces. The new requirement is the result of an Executive Order (EO) signed in January 2009, and applies to all federal contracts with a minimum value of $100,000, and federal subcontracts valued at more than $10,000.

The notice informs employees of various rights under the NLRA, including the right to organize or join a union, bargain collectively to set wages, hours, benefits and other working conditions, and strike and picket. The notice also describes illegal activities by employers and unions under NLRB law. The notice also indicates that NLRB “may order an employer to rehire a worker fired in violation of the law and to pay lost wages and benefits, and may order an employer or union to cease violating the law.”  It’s important to note that contractors and subcontractors covered by this requirement will be subject to severe penalties for failing to comply, including contract cancellation and debarment from future contracts.

The requirement to post this sign is another example of the “ping pong” game played in Washington regarding labor regulations, explains Bill Hillman of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA). During the Clinton Administration, similar notices were required at American work sites. When President Bush took office, the Executive Order rescinded the requirement. Days after President Obama took office, the sign was required again.
 
Play it safe – post this sign around your jobsites by Monday, June 21