a short history of
Poster Compliance Center 
founded by Allen Glazer 

The purpose of this site is to give a brief history of the Poster Compliance Center -- a company that was started in 1991 by Allen Glazer.  In doing so, it first helps to give some background about the labor law and employment information industry. This relatively new “industry” became a natural byproduct of the growth and complexity of U.S. labor laws, which continually change, and require that employers stay well informed to avoid liability.

When the company started up, it was called Poster Distribution Center, and was one of only a handful of businesses that provided a “one-stop” service to California employers who needed a simple way to obtain mandatory labor law posters. Then, as now, employers were required by law to post up to eleven different federal and state posters, such as minimum wage notices, workers’ compensation rights, occupational safety rules, and equal opportunity laws.

But despite the fact that all businesses with employees needed to have these posters displayed, none of the federal or state agencies notified employers of that fact. There were no governmental offices you could call, no web sites, and no literature which gave all requirements and a single source for those posters. Hence, a business could be in violation of labor laws and could be penalized unless they had all current posters displayed properly. Yet it was up to each business to somehow learn what posters they needed and figure out where to obtain them. Filling these obvious needs became the primary goal of Allen Glazer and the new Poster Distribution Center.  Note that Allen Glazer is not the attorney of the same name:

Soon after the company began operation, and due in part to the nature of its products, the Postal Service complained that the "overall impression" of the fliers may be misleading to some businesses who would assume the company was affiliated with the government.  As a result, a number of changes were made, including a name change to “Poster Compliance Center” (PCC) to limit potential confusion. It has since grown to become a leading source of both posters and labor information for thousands of companies nationwide, including many Fortune 500 companies.

The "All-in-One" labor law posters

Eventually, the company became important to the government itself: one state agency in California, for instance, which itself required and provided posters, told businesses that called them for posters to call PCC instead; the California EDD, an important agency which also provides posters, bought PCC "all-in-one" posters instead of using their own, for all their eleven offices. Nationwide, there are hundreds of other small and large government workplaces, such as post offices, fire departments, police stations, city halls, and state and federal senators, that now rely on PCC for their posters.

In 1991, when the company began operation, the web and broadband were in their infancy, and not used for business. Today, however, a search for “labor law posters” receives over 15 million  responses. An entire labor law industry has been created, providing everything from employer reference materials, forms, background checks, labor law posters, and a myriad of other products and services to businesses. Because it specialized and was one of the earliest businesses in the industry, Poster Compliance Center shows up at the top of all search engine results.

What are the reasons for Poster Compliance Center’s success and why has it grown to become a clear leader in the labor law poster industry? One key factor was their “all-in-one” layout  designed by Allen Glazer. All posters were layed out in a quadrant with the state or U.S. flag at the top left.  Here, a picture is worth a thousand words, and seeing a before and after photo of a typical business poster board should help explain why businesses prefer this workplace friendly format:

Besides the obvious visual benefits to a neater workplace environment, there were other factors which have contributed to their success:

  • It was one of the first companies to specialize in providing labor law posters only – becoming a “one-stop” source for all businesses, small or large, anywhere in the nation; 

  • PCC prices were much lower than their competitors because other companies often sold posters as a segment of their company. For instance, G. Neil Corp. is an established human resources publisher of books, forms, training systems, and hundreds of various products and services. The same is true for the California Chamber of Commerce, which also requires annual membership fees ranging from $400 to $2,000 before you can buy their posters. 

  • PCC posters were always of superior quality. The layout and design, colors, and readability were made to the highest standards which set their posters apart from all others. 

  • PCC was the first company to provide lamination as a standard while competitors, when they offered it, did so for an additional charge. They also used the heaviest lamination available – the same as driver’s licenses and passports. This made the posters washable and almost indestructible - important in many workplaces. (free posters from the government are printed on plain paper only and require constant replacement.) 

  •  According to PCC customers, they also provided better service. Orders were normally shipped within 24 hours by Priority Mail, and a phone inquiry about the status of an order would be answered within seconds thanks to a well-designed database system.

Since its start up in 1991, Poster Compliance Center has continued to grow and is now a recognized source for workplace posters. Quality and price are still superior to all competitors and the service is still the best.

Mr. Glazer currently edits a site devoted to Printing and Production and related topics.  All-in-one labor law posters are today a common sight in workplaces throughout the country.