Worker Adjustment And Retraining Notification (WARN)

The WARN Act is a federal law requiring employers of 100 or more full-time workers to give 60-days advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff. This federal law applies to employers in the State of Rhode Island.

Employers with 100 or more full-time workers are affected if they:

  • Close a facility or discontinue an operating unit with 50 or more workers
  • If they lay off 50-499 workers (and these workers comprise at least 33% of the total workforce at a single site of employment)
  • If they lay off 500 or more workers at a single site of employment

The law requires that this notification be given to the appropriate local chief elected official, the Dislocated Worker Unit of the State Department of Labor, and the collective bargaining representative of affected employees or each employee if the employees do not have such representation.

Notifications

Written notification should be printed on company letterhead, signed by the authorized employer representative and addressed to:

Jean Luisi
Chief of Labor & Training Operations
RI Department of Labor & Training
1511 Pontiac Avenue-Bldg. 73-2, Cranston, RI 02920
Telephone: (401)462-8385 | Fax: (401)462-8722
Jean.Luisi@dlt.ri.gov

This notification should include the:

  • name and address of the work site where the plant closing or mass lay off will occur.
  • date(s) of proposed closing or mass layoff.
  • number of affected workers and address of their collective bargaining representative and chief elected officer if applicable.
  • name, address and telephone number of the employer representative to contact regarding the closing or mass layoff.

Employers should review the Act and seek counsel to discuss its provisions, including penalties, exceptions and enforcement. Contact Sue Biagioni at 401-462-8723 for additional details regarding these requirements.

Resources

The US DOL published WARN Act regulations presented in a step-by-step Q&A format: Title 20 Code of Federal Regulations Part 639

Specific requirements of the WARN Act may be found in the Act itself: Public Law 100-379 29 U.S.C. 2101, et seq

WARN Notices (updated 11/27/24)

Note: DLT updates the list of WARN Notices within 24 hours of receiving them (except if our office is closed, then the next business day). If a notice is not listed for a specific company, that means we have not received one. The USDOL is responsible for enforcement. If you have specific questions about enforcement, please contact them directly: 

U.S. Department of Labor  
380 Westminster Mall, Room 546
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: 401-528-4431