What is the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN)?

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) is a federal law that provides certain protections to workers, their families, and communities affected by layoffs or plant closings. WARN requires employers, depending on their size, to provide sixty (60) calendar days advance notice of a mass layoff or plant closing to affected workers and their families as well as state and local government representatives. In Kansas, WARN applies to all employers with at least 100 full-time employees and/or those who have employed at least 100 employees on each of the last twelve (12) months. It does NOT apply to employers who do not meet these thresholds and who have less than 100 full-time employees. WARN provides workers affected by a plant closing or mass layoff with certain rights. Those include the right to receive at least sixty (60) days notice in advance of a termination or layoff, the right to health insurance coverage for a set period of time, the right to receive retraining and job search assistance, and the right to certain wages and benefits. In summary, WARN is a federal law that provides certain protections to workers, their families, and affected communities if and when a plant closing or mass layoff occurs. In Kansas, WARN applies to businesses with at least 100 full-time employees and/or who have employed at least 100 full-time employees in the last twelve (12) months. Affected workers have certain rights under the law, such as the right to receive advance notice of a termination or layoff, the right to health insurance coverage for a set period of time, and the right to receive retraining and job search assistance.

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