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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 Connecticut. 

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; or    
• lay off 50-499 workers (and these workers comprise at least 33% of the total workforce at a single site of employment); or
• 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. 

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

Rapid Response Unit
Connecticut Department of Labor
200 Folly Brook Boulevard
Wethersfield, CT  06109-1114 

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

It is recommended that employers review the Act and seek counsel to discuss its provisions, including penalties, exceptions, and enforcement.

Additional details regarding these requirements may be obtained by contacting the Rapid Response Unit at 860-263-6580. 

Additional Information

• The US Department of Labor (US DOL) provides additional information about the WARN Act through their publications:

  • Employer's Guide PDF format

  • Worker's Guide PDF format

  • Guía para el Trabajadores (Worker's Guide in Spanish) PDF format
     

• 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.

• The CT Department of Labor publishes a monthly report of WARN Act notices received, Monthly WARN Reports.

Published by the Connecticut Department of Labor, Project Management Office