The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is a United States labor law that requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide written notice at least 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and mass layoffs. The purpose of the WARN Act is to provide workers with advance notice of impending job loss in order to allow them to find new employment, seek job training or education, and otherwise prepare for the economic impact of losing their jobs.
The law defines a "plant closing" as the permanent or temporary shutdown of a single site of employment, or one or more facilities or operating units within a single site of employment, that results in an employment loss of 50 or more employees during any 30-day period. A "mass layoff" is defined as a reduction in force that results in an employment loss at a single site of employment during any 30-day period for at least 500 employees, or for 50-499 employees if they make up at least 33% of the employer's active workforce at that site.
The WARN Act includes provisions that require employers to give notice to affected employees, their representatives (such as a labor union), and the state's dislocated worker unit. Employers who fail to comply with the WARN Act can be subject to civil penalties and may be liable for back pay and benefits for affected employees.
