§2102 Notice Required Before Plant Closings and Mass Layoffs

Summary

Employers must give 60 days’ written notice before they close a plant or do a mass layoff. They must send the notice to the workers’ representative or, if none, to each affected worker. They must also notify the state rapid‑response agency and the chief elected official of the local area where the closing or layoff will happen. There are some exceptions. A single workplace can close sooner if the employer was actively looking for money or business and honestly believed notice would stop that. Early closings are also allowed for unforeseeable business events. No notice is required for natural disasters like a flood, earthquake, or drought. Employers who cut the notice time must give as much notice as possible and a short reason. A layoff announced as 6 months or less that goes past 6 months counts as a job loss unless the longer time was unforeseeable and workers are told when that becomes clear. Job losses for two or more groups at one site that together exceed the law’s threshold within 90 days are treated as a single closing or mass layoff unless the employer proves they were separate, unrelated actions.