When you head to the break room at work, you’re likely to see colorful state and federal labor law posters. Scott Tunnicliff, of the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce, says a company is sending out misleading mailers warning Iowa business owners that their posters need to be updated. The letters say the posters are about to expire and business owners who don’t update the posters could face a severe fine or jail time -and- the new posters can be purchased through the company for about 40-dollars, plus another eight-bucks for shipping and handling. Tunnicliff says the service isn’t illegal — except the same posters are available at -no- charge from Iowa Workforce Development offices. Tunnicliff says the company isn’t breaking the law but he believes the letters are a misrepresentation. He says if you pay the money, you’ll get the posters, but you shouldn’t have to buy something from the company that you can already get from the state for free. A spokesman for the company says they provide a service that reminds businesses when there are updates to the law.
