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Summary of differences between federal and state regulations
For the most part, the state of Rhode Island follows the federal rule in regard to plant closings. Employers having 100 or more employees (not counting employees who worked less than six months of the last 12 months and not counting employees who average less than 20 hours a week) are subject to the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN). Employers are required to provide 60 days’ advance notice of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. This notice must be given either to the affected workers or their representatives (e.g., a labor union) plus the State dislocated worker unit and the appropriate unit of local government.
In Rhode Island, businesses employing 100 or more workers are required to provide in writing a 60 day advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff. The employer must notify:
- Each representative of the affected employees, or each employee if they do not have a representative.
- The chief elected official of the area (City or Town) where the closing or layoff is to take place.
- The Department of Labor and Training’s Workforce Development Administrative Unit:
Federal
Contact
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Regulations
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), 29 USC 2101 et seq.; 20 CFR 639