What is the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act?

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is a federal law that requires employers to provide 60 days’ notice to employees and state governments when a business plans on laying off a large number of workers, usually 50 or more. This gives employees ample time to prepare if they are losing their job. WARN also requires employers to meet certain conditions before they are allowed to lay off workers such as offering employees the chance to be re-trained and finding other employment within the same organization if possible. The WARN Act is enforced in the District of Columbia and applies to employers who have 100 or more employees working at least 20 hours a week for a combined total of 4 or more calendar weeks. Employers are also required to provide notice to state dislocated worker units and local government bodies. If an employer fails to provide the required notification under the WARN Act, employees may be entitled to receive back pay for each working day they were not given notice. They may also receive other forms of compensation such as health benefits. The goal of the WARN Act is to give employees and local communities advance notice of large layoffs so they have time to prepare for the economic disruption that often comes with a large-scale job loss. As such, it is a very important law in the District of Columbia and should not be taken lightly by employers.

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What is the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act?

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