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Attorney General Rob McKenna and Labor and Industries Director Gary Weeks warned consumers to be on the lookout for private companies mailing notices that threaten businesses with up to $17,000 in fines, lawsuits and audits for not displaying labor law posters.
The Attorney General's Office has received inquiries and complaints regarding notices from Personnel Concepts, also known as PCI, and The Washington Labor Law Poster Service. Both companies sell posters concerning state and federal labor laws. The mailings arrive in envelopes labeled "FINAL NOTICE" or "FINAL REQUEST."
"While it's true that employers who fail to post required labor law posters may be fined, these notices make it appear that immediate compliance through purchase of their products is necessary to escape penalties," McKenna said. "Readers who fail to read the notices carefully might mistakenly assume they originated from a government-affiliated agency and that the government is charging them for the posters."
"Employers have the option to purchase labor law posters from a for-profit company, or save money by obtaining them at no charge from government agencies," McKenna said. "Employers who have questions about poster requirements should contact the Department of Labor and Industries."
Many posters can be downloaded from agency Web sites. Employers can pick up posters required by Labor and Industries at any local Labor and Industries office. Labor and Industries is encouraging employers to request or download the 2006 "Minimum Wage" poster and an updated "Your Rights as a Non-agricultural Worker" poster.
A required unemployment poster and a five-in-one federal labor law poster are available from any WorkSource Center. A list of required and recommended posters is available on the Department of Labor and Industries Web site at www.lni.wa.gov/IPUB/101-054-000.asp and copied below:
Washington Department of Labor and Industries
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