What is the WARN act?

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is a federal law that provides certain protections to employees in the state of Massachusetts. It was enacted in 1988 and is designed to offer workers and their families in the event of a workplace closing or mass layoff. The WARN Act requires employers to provide workers with at least 60 days advanced notice of any large-scale layoffs or unfavorable workplace changes. This notice is designed to give workers and their families time to adjust and seek alternate employment. Employers must give notice to affected employees, as well as local and state governments. WARN also requires employers to give workers the chance to stay on the job until the layoff date, and to pay them for the hours worked during this period. Under the WARN Act, employers in Massachusetts must also provide employees a severance package, which includes paying out any wages, vacation, and pension benefits that the workers were owed at the time of the layoff. The WARN Act also provides workers with the right to sue their employer in the event that proper notice of a layoff was not given. The WARN Act is an important piece of federal law that provides workers in Massachusetts with important protections when facing large-scale layoffs and job losses. It is designed to ensure that workers receive at least 60 days notice of an unfavorable workplace change, as well as a severance package and the chance to sue their employers if proper notice is not given.

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