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

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) is a federal law that requires employers to provide prior notice of mass layoffs and plant closures. This law applies to employers with 100 or more employees, including public and private employers. In Virginia, the WARN Act applies to all employers who have a minimum of 75 employees. WARN requires that if a qualifying layoff is to occur, the employer must provide notification 60 days in advance to affected employees, their union representatives, the local government, and the state dislocated worker unit. Qualifying layoffs are defined as either the termination of 500 or more full-time workers at a single site of employment, or a reduction in the workforce that is at least 33% of the full-time employees at a single site of employment. The purpose of the WARN Act is to provide protection to employees, their families, and their communities by allowing them to identify and prepare for a potential job loss. It also helps to ensure that employers comply with the law by providing adequate notice of a potential layoff or plant closure to affected employees. The WARN Act is an important law that protects employees in Virginia by requiring employers to provide proper notification of a potential job loss.

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