Labor board delays rule requiring union posters in the workplace

By Kevin Bogardus - 10/05/11 02:30 PM ET

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Wednesday postponed a regulation that would require employers to post notices informing workers of their right to form a union.

The rule was slated to go in effect Nov. 14. It now has been postponed until Jan. 31, 2012, according to a news release from the labor board.

The rule has been delayed, NLRB said, to give the board more time to educate companies about who and who is not covered by the rule.

“The decision to extend the rollout period followed queries from businesses and trade organizations indicating uncertainty about which businesses fall under the board’s jurisdiction, and was made in the interest of ensuring broad voluntary compliance. No other changes in the rule, or in the form or content of the notice, will be made,” NLRB said in the release.

The notice rule has attracted wide notice on Capitol Hill among Republican lawmakers. Business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have sued NLRB over the rule.

Unions, meanwhile, heaped praise on NLRB for moving forward with the poster requirement. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called it a “a responsible and much-needed step.”