Fail to display this federal poster and you risk fines of up to $12,000 per violation from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), even before you serve your first customer. The Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act Poster (also known as the NLRB poster) is a mandatory federal notice that must be posted in San Antonio, Texas, and all other workplaces under NLRB jurisdiction. Key facts:
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You are legally required to display the Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) Poster because of the federal National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This law applies nationwide, including in San Antonio, Texas, and is enforced by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The purpose is to inform your employees of their federally protected rights to organize, form or join a union, bargain collectively, and engage in other concerted activities for mutual aid or protection. Failure to post the official notice constitutes an unfair labor practice under the NLRA, and the NLRB actively investigates complaints related to non-posting.
While this poster does not have a specific monetary fine for simply not posting it, the NLRB uses the failure as evidence of unlawful intent and can order powerful remedies if other violations occur. The practical consequences for a restaurant owner can be severe:
Legal code: National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
Recent update: The NLRB revised the official poster in August 2023 to update contact information and filing procedures, so ensure you are displaying the current version.
| Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (Full-Service) | Required | Required, as the NLRA applies to most private-sector employers engaged in interstate commerce. |
| Bar / Nightclub | Required | Required, unless gross annual volume of business is under $500,000, a rare threshold for established bars. |
| Food Truck | Not Required | Often exempt if operated by the owner with no other employees, but required if you have any paid staff. |
| Coffee Shop / Café | Required | Required if the business engages in interstate commerce, which includes purchasing supplies from out-of-state vendors. |
See which restaurant types need this requirement — and which don't.
See Full Requirements →Select 'Yes' if your business currently employs or will employ any workers (full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal), which triggers the NLRA posting requirement; select 'No' only if you are a sole proprietor with zero employees or an owner-only business.
COMMON MISTAKE: Sole proprietors incorrectly selecting 'Yes' because they consider themselves an 'employee,' which can lead to unnecessary compliance actions and confusion about your legal obligations.
Select the category that most accurately describes your business (e.g., Private Employer, Federal Contractor, Airline/Railway) as defined by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as this determines the specific NLRA rights poster you must display.
COMMON MISTAKE: Choosing 'Private Employer' as a default without checking if your business falls under a special category like Federal Contractor, which requires a different poster version and can result in non-compliance.
Confirm you have successfully downloaded the official poster from the NLRB website or an approved source, as using an outdated or unofficial version is a common compliance failure.
COMMON MISTAKE: Assuming a poster from a third-party HR site is compliant without verifying it matches the current NLRB version, which can be outdated and lead to penalties.
Select the physical size (e.g., 11"x17") or digital format you will use, as the NLRB requires the poster to be large enough to be easily readable and posted in a conspicuous location.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting a small format like 8.5"x11" for a large break room, which may not meet the 'conspicuous' posting standard and can be cited as a violation.
Select all languages spoken by a significant portion of your workforce (e.g., English & Spanish), as the NLRB mandates posting in languages employees understand if a substantial number are not proficient in English.
COMMON MISTAKE: Posting only in English when a large segment of your San Antonio staff primarily speaks Spanish, which is a direct violation of NLRB rules and a frequent cause of complaints.
Select 'Yes' if you operate a restaurant, office, or any site where employees report to work, as this requires a physical poster; 'No' applies only to fully remote businesses with no central office.
COMMON MISTAKE: Remote-first businesses incorrectly selecting 'No' if they have a small administrative office or a designated meeting space, which still qualifies as a physical workplace requiring a poster.
List all conspicuous areas where the poster will be placed (e.g., 'Employee break room bulletin board,' 'Time clock area,' 'Next to the schedule in the kitchen'), as vague entries like 'break room' can lead to improper placement and compliance issues.
COMMON MISTAKE: Writing vague descriptions like 'office' or 'back area,' which fail to demonstrate a good-faith effort to post conspicuously and can be challenged during an NLRB inspection.
Select 'Yes' if any employees work primarily from home or other off-site locations, as this triggers the additional requirement to distribute the poster electronically via email, company intranet, or other reliable digital means.
COMMON MISTAKE: Assuming remote workers are covered by the physical poster at a central office, which does not satisfy the NLRB's electronic posting requirement for remote staff and is a common oversight.
Describe exactly how you will distribute the poster to remote employees (e.g., 'PDF attached to onboarding email,' 'Posted on the HR portal homepage,' 'Included in the employee handbook digital copy'), as the NLRB requires a reliable method that ensures access.
COMMON MISTAKE: Listing vague methods like 'company website' without specifying a prominent, accessible location, which may not satisfy the NLRB's standard for effective electronic notice.
Confirm the poster is actually displayed in the listed conspicuous locations and has not been altered, defaced, or covered, as the NLRB's requirement is for continuous, unobstructed posting.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'Yes' prematurely before the poster is actually placed, or failing to account for posters that become covered by other notices, which constitutes a violation from the date of covering.
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Using an outdated poster, an unofficial summary, or an incorrectly sized version violates the requirement. For example, posting a flyer downloaded from a generic HR website instead of the current 11x17-inch "Employee Rights" poster from NLRB.gov will fail an inspection. This mistake is the top trigger for official complaints and follow-up enforcement actions, which can add weeks of correspondence to resolve.
Placing the poster in a break room closet, a locked office, or an area not frequented by all employees (like a manager-only hallway) does not meet the "conspicuous place" standard. A concrete mistake is posting it on a bulletin board already covered in other notices in the back kitchen. If employees cannot readily see it, the posting is invalid, and this non-compliance is often cited during union organizing drives or investigations.
In San Antonio, if a significant portion of your workforce is not proficient in English, you must also post the Spanish version ("Derechos de los empleados"). A common error is posting only the English poster in a workplace where over 20% of staff primarily speak Spanish. This omission can lead to charges of interfering with employee rights and may be raised in an unfair labor practice case, complicating proceedings.
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| City | Fee Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas | ||
| Houston | ||
| San Antonio |
Get the official "Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act" poster (Form NLRB-1629) from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). You can download a free PDF from the NLRB.gov website or request a physical copy mailed to you (no charge). Print the poster on standard letter-size paper (8.5" x 11") or larger. Ensure you download the current version—older posters may not meet updated requirements.
Review NLRB rules and your San Antonio workplace specifics to confirm where and how to display the poster. It must be posted in a conspicuous place where employees typically gather, such as a break room or near time clocks. For workplaces with no common physical location (e.g., remote workers), you must distribute the poster electronically via email or company intranet. Failure to post correctly is a common compliance oversight.
Physically display the printed poster in your San Antonio restaurant or business. Use a bulletin board or wall space free from obstructions. If required, also send the digital PDF to all employees via email with a brief note explaining it's a mandatory federal notice. Keep a record (e.g., a dated photo) of the posted notice as proof of compliance. This step is mandatory upon opening or whenever you hire new employees.
This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Texas.
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local
state
federal
See all co-required forms and how they connect to your compliance dossier.
See All RequirementsThere is no official processing time because this is a display requirement, not a permit you apply for. You can obtain the official poster directly from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) website for immediate download and printing, or order a copy by mail which may take a few days to arrive. Unlike local permits like a Building Permit, there is no government approval timeline to manage.
There are no government filing fees for the poster itself, per the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) website. Employers can download and print the required notice at no cost or order a single copy by mail free of charge. Not legal advice — verify with the NLRB for your specific circumstances.
Yes, the poster is not location-specific and can be moved and re-displayed at a new business address. It is a federal notice required of all employers, regardless of a move within San Antonio or to another state. However, a physical move often triggers other local requirements, such as updating your City Business License/Registration, which you must address separately.
You do not renew the poster. It is a one-time requirement to post the notice where employees can see it. You should check the NLRB website periodically, as the poster content is updated when the underlying law changes, and you are responsible for displaying the current version. Contact the NLRB to confirm the poster is still current.
There is no routine inspection for this poster. Compliance may be checked during an investigation initiated by an employee charge or an NLRB agent visiting your premises for another reason, such as a union election. An agent will verify the poster is displayed conspicuously where all employees can readily see it, similar to how other required postings like wage notices are checked.
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 Texas specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio), 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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