The WARN Act requires many covered U.S. employers to give 60 days’ notice before mass layoffs or plant closures.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act became federal law in 1988. It was designed to give affected workers, their families, and local communities time to prepare for major employment losses and to seek new work or retraining.
The act generally applies to employers meeting specified size thresholds and covers qualifying plant closings and mass layoffs. Notice may be provided to affected workers, their representatives, and designated government officials.
The requirement has exceptions, including certain unforeseeable business circumstances, natural disasters, and some temporary projects. Because coverage depends on statutory definitions and exemptions, the familiar “60-day rule” does not automatically apply to every closure or layoff.