The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act: Policy and Practice Issues for Employers‪.‬

ABSTRACT The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) provides that, with certain exceptions, employers of 100 or more workers must give at least 60 days advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff to affected workers and to the appropriate local government officials. The purpose of the act is to provide protection to workers, their families, and communities, to facilitate workers and their families some transition to adjust to the prospective loss of employment, to seek and obtain alternative jobs, and if necessary, to enter skill training and or retraining that will allow these workers to successfully compete in the job market. While the act has received renewed attention in recent years, the act has also been described as "a Quagmire of Confusion" and a 2003 GAO study identified numerous concerns expressed by both employees and employers as to how the law is supposed to work. The purpose of this paper is to identify potential legal issues and problems that employers may encounter with respect to WARN Act compliance and what organizations can do to minimize their exposure and liability associated with the WARN Act.