All businesses that employ at least one person -- including churches -- must display federal labor law posters to inform employees of certain rights involving wages and fair treatment. Your church may be required to display more than minimum requirement for employment posters, depending on the type of work it does and the people it employs. All federal posters must be at least 11-by-17 inches in size and posted in conspicuous places where both current and potential employees can read them.
Federal Posters Required
If unpaid volunteers or family members exclusively comprise your church staff, the institution does not need to post federal labor notices. Otherwise, your church will most likely need to display the following notices: Fair Labor Standards Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Family and Medical Leave Act and Equal Employment Opportunity notice. These posters inform employees of their rights as workers, which include the minimum wage requirement, vacation and sick time and protection against discrimination. Your church may need to post additional notices if it employs disabled persons or military service members, is involved in agricultural or farm labor, uses polygraph testing or verifies employees through a federal verification system.
Non-employee Contractors
If your church hires contractors or subcontractors, it might also need to post different federal contract labor notices. You can determine the specific posters your church must display through the United States Department of Labor's Poster Advisor on the agency's website.
References
- United States Department of Labor: Frequently Asked Questions
- United States Department of Labor: Compliance Assistance
- United States Department of Labor: Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act Notice (MSPA)
- United States Department of Labor: Employee Rights for Workers with Disabilities/Special Minimum Wage Poster
- United States Department of Labor: Volunteers
- Cornell University: Policies
Resources
Writer Bio
Andrea Farkas has been writing since 2005. Her legal article appears in the "Texas Tech Estate Planning" and "Community Property Law Journal." Farkas graduated from Texas A&M University and earned her law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.