New Illinois WARN Act Will Require Advance Notice of Certain Reductions in Force or Recolations Not Covered By The Federal WARN Act

Employers with operations in Illinois should be aware of a new state law requiring written notice 60 days in advance of a covered “mass layoff, relocation or employment loss.” Approved by Governor Blagojevich on August 12, 2004, the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“Illinois WARN Law”), P.A. 93-0915, will take effect January 1, 2005. The Illinois WARN Law is patterned after the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 2101-2109, but contains many key differences.