Operating without the required federal Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act Poster displayed exposes your Aurora restaurant to investigations and penalties from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This federal labor law notice, also known as the NLRA rights poster, must be posted where employees can see it. Key facts:
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The Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act Poster is a federal posting requirement mandated for nearly all private-sector employers by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). In Aurora, Illinois, while there is no additional local posting ordinance for this specific federal poster, you must comply with the NLRA's nationwide rule (29 C.F.R. § 104.202) that requires the 11" x 17" poster to be displayed in a conspicuous place where employees are likely to see it. The mandate applies to all employers subject to the NLRA, which includes most restaurants and retail businesses in Aurora, regardless of whether your employees are currently unionized. Failure to display this poster is considered an unfair labor practice.
Neglecting to post this notice can trigger several significant consequences if an employee files a complaint with the NLRB. Based on common remedies sought by the NLRB's General Counsel in enforcement actions, penalties can include:
Legal code: National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
Recent update: In August 2023, the NLRB issued its final rule officially requiring employers to post the revised employee rights poster, which had been reinstated after a series of legal challenges.
| Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (Full-Service) | Required | Required if the restaurant is an employer under the NLRA, which typically means engaging in interstate commerce and grossing at least $500,000 annually (29 U.S.C. § 152). |
| Bar / Nightclub | Required | Required as a private sector employer, as bars and nightclubs are covered under the NLRA when meeting jurisdictional standards. |
| Food Truck | Required | Required if the food truck operation meets the NLRA's jurisdictional standards for annual business volume. |
| Coffee Shop / Café | Required | Required as most coffee shops are private employers engaged in commerce, thus covered by the NLRA. |
See which restaurant types need this requirement — and which don't.
See Full Requirements →Answer 'Yes' if you have at least one employee (including part-time, seasonal, or probationary workers) or 'No' if you are a sole proprietor with no employees. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) applies only to employers with workers.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering 'No' when you have employees, which incorrectly suggests your business is exempt and could lead to a citation for non-posting if discovered.
Select the category that best describes your entity (e.g., 'General Business,' 'Unionized Workplace,' 'Healthcare Institution,' 'Religious School'). This determines any special NLRA posting rules or exemptions that apply.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'General Business' if you are a covered railway/airline employer or a religious school, as these have specific NLRA coverage rules that affect your posting obligations.
Confirm 'Yes' once you have obtained the official 'Employee Rights Under the NLRA' poster (Form NLRB-14730) from the NLRB website or a verified source. You cannot post without the correct poster.
COMMON MISTAKE: Answering 'Yes' after downloading an outdated or unofficial poster from a third-party site, which may not meet NLRB content and format requirements.
Choose the physical size you will print (e.g., '11x17 inches' standard, '8.5x11 inches' if space is limited). The poster must be large enough to be easily readable.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting a format smaller than 8.5x11 inches, which fails the NLRB's 'readable' standard and is a common basis for violation findings.
Select the poster language(s) you will post (e.g., 'English,' 'English and Spanish'). If a significant portion of your workforce is not proficient in English, you must post in the language they understand.
COMMON MISTAKE: Posting only in English when you have multiple non-English-speaking employees, which violates NLRB guidance and can be cited as an unfair labor practice.
Answer 'Yes' if your business operates from a physical office, store, factory, or other worksite where employees report. This determines if a physical poster is required.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering 'No' when you have a physical location, incorrectly bypassing the mandatory physical posting requirement and risking a violation.
List all physical spots where the poster will be displayed (e.g., 'break room bulletin board,' 'next to time clock,' 'main entrance'). The NLRB requires posting in conspicuous places where employees gather.
COMMON MISTAKE: Listing only one obscure location (like a locked manager's office) instead of all prominent employee areas, which fails the 'conspicuous' posting standard.
Answer 'Yes' if you employ any workers who do not regularly report to a physical workplace (e.g., remote, telecommuting, field staff). This triggers the requirement for electronic distribution of the poster.
COMMON MISTAKE: Answering 'No' when you have remote staff, which means you would miss the mandatory electronic posting requirement and face potential NLRB action.
Describe how you will distribute the poster electronically (e.g., 'email link to all employees,' 'post on company intranet,' 'include in onboarding portal'). The method must be a customary way you communicate work rules.
COMMON MISTAKE: Vague entries like 'company website' without specifying an employee-accessed portal, which may not satisfy the NLRB's 'customary means' standard for electronic notice.
Confirm 'Yes' only after the physical poster is actually displayed in all the listed locations. This is your final compliance checkpoint.
COMMON MISTAKE: Marking 'Yes' prematurely before posting is complete, creating a false record that offers no defense if the NLRB inspects and finds the poster missing.
ApronPrep auto-fills 11 of 13 fields from a single compliance interview — no re-typing, no guessing what the government expects.
Using an old NLRB poster or one from a non-official source is the top compliance mistake. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) updates the poster periodically, and displaying an outdated version fails to meet your affirmative posting requirement. This mistake is easily avoided by downloading the current, free, official poster directly from the NLRB website (nlrb.gov).
Placing the poster in a back office, break room, or any area not frequented by all employees can be considered a failure to comply. The NLRA requires the poster be posted 'in conspicuous places' where it can be readily seen by employees. To avoid this, post it alongside other mandatory federal and state labor law notices in a common area like a main bulletin board or near time clocks.
Failing to notify employees who don't regularly visit the physical workplace is a common oversight. The NLRB requires that employers 'customarily' post notices electronically if they communicate with employees electronically. To avoid a violation, distribute the poster via a company-wide email, intranet, or shared digital workspace for all remote workers, in addition to the physical posting.
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| City | Fee Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora | ||
| Chicago | ||
| Rockford |
Obtain the current version of the "Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act" poster (Form NLRB-1473B) directly from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) website. You must use the official NLRB-provided PDF; third-party or outdated versions are not compliant. The poster is provided free of charge by the federal government, so there are no government filing fees for the poster itself.
Print the poster on standard 11x17-inch paper to meet the required size specifications (NLRB guidelines require printing on 11"x17" paper). Ensure your printer produces a clear, legible copy. Some employers trip up by scaling the document to letter-size (8.5"x11"), which renders the text too small and is a common violation. You are responsible for your own printing costs.
Display the printed poster in your Aurora workplace where employees are likely to see it, such as a common area, break room, or near time clocks. Federal law (NLRA Section 7) requires conspicuous posting for all employers subject to the Act. For remote workers, you must also distribute the poster electronically via email or post it on an internal company website. Failure to post can lead to unfair labor practice charges.
This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Illinois.
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See all co-required forms and how they connect to your compliance dossier.
See All RequirementsThis is a federal requirement, and there is no specific application or approval timeline. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) provides the poster for immediate download and printing from their website, so compliance can be achieved as soon as you display it. The City of Aurora typically verifies compliance with this and other labor posters during the City Business License/Registration process.
There is no government filing fee to obtain or display the poster. The NLRB provides the official "Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act" poster for free download. You are responsible for the cost of printing the 11x17-inch poster. Not legal advice — verify with the NLRB.
The poster itself is not a transferable permit. This is a blanket federal requirement for all employers covered by the Act. You must display the poster at each of your business locations, so you need a new copy for any new site. This is often checked alongside location-specific requirements like a new Certificate of Occupancy.
There is no formal renewal process. You must keep the poster displayed at all times where employees can see it. You only need to replace it if it becomes defaced or if the NLRB updates the official version, which they have not done since 2015. Contact the NLRB to confirm you have the current version.
There is no dedicated inspection for this poster. Compliance is typically verified during broader city or state inspections, like those for your business license. An inspector will check that the current, legible 11x17-inch poster is displayed in a conspicuous place where all employees can see it, such as a break room or near other required labor law notices.
This guide is generated from ApronPrep's compliance dossier system, which uses 53 parallel AI authority experts to discover requirements, then downloads actual forms and generates field-level intelligence for each one.
For Illinois specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Aurora, Chicago, Rockford), generating Rich FILs (Form Intelligence Layers) with 13 form fields analyzed for this requirement. Fee data is sourced from actual county department fee schedules, not estimates.
Our data is verified against official government sources and updated when regulatory changes are detected. If you find an error, please report it — accuracy is our core commitment.
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