The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — requires 60 days advance notice for plant closings or mass layoffs by employers with 100+ employees.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, enacted in 1988, requires employers with 100 or more full-time employees to give 60 calendar days' written notice in advance of: a plant closing affecting 50+ employees at a single site, or a mass layoff affecting 50+ employees if those represent at least 33% of the active workforce, or 500+ employees regardless of percentage.
Notice must be given to affected employees (or their union representatives), the State Dislocated Worker Unit, and the chief elected local government official. Failure to provide proper WARN notice can result in liability for back pay and benefits for each day notice was deficient, up to 60 days, plus attorneys' fees.
Several states have 'mini-WARN' laws with broader coverage (smaller employer thresholds, lower layoff thresholds, or longer notice requirements) — including California's CalWARN (75 employees, 50-employee layoff, 60 days), New York (50 employees, 25-employee layoff, 90 days), Illinois, New Jersey, and Hawaii. Acquisitions, faltering-company exemptions, unforeseeable business circumstances, and natural disasters can shorten the notice period if documented carefully.
Before our 80-person reduction in force, we provided 60 days WARN notice to affected staff and the state dislocated-worker unit.
Peoplifi unifies HR, payroll, time tracking, and performance into one modern platform — so concepts like WARN Act stay handled, not stuck in spreadsheets.
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