What is the WARN Act?

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is a labor law in Washington that requires employers to give workers advance notice of layoffs. The WARN Act applies to employers with 100 or more employees and requires that workers must be notified 60 days in advance when there is a plant closing or mass layoff. Under the WARN Act, employers must provide notification to employees, their unions, and state and local governments. WARN is designed to give workers time to prepare and look for other jobs and to adjust their lifestyles so they can maintain their income. WARN applies to all businesses, except for those exempt from the coverage of the National Labor Relations Act. The WARN Act also requires employers to provide severance pay and other benefits to employees affected by the layoff. The US Department of Labor administers and enforces the WARN Act, and the law can be enforced both administratively (through the US Department of Labor) and through private litigation. Employers who fail to comply with the WARN Act can be ordered to pay back wages, benefits, and civil penalties. The fines for violating the WARN Act can be as high as $500 a day for each day of violation.

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What is the WARN Act?

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