Illinois’ WARN Act requires 60-day notification under Illinois law, labor officials say
By Editor Josh Mitchell
River Mississippi News
SPRINGFIELD, ILL– The Illinois Department of Labor has issued a subpoena to U.S. Steel Corporation as the state investigates the company’s compliance with a state law requring two months notice to employees affected by mass layoffs.
The investigation into U.S. Steel, Illinois labor officials say, comes after the Pittsburgh-based company recently made two layoff announcements totaling more than 1,000 workers.
The Worker Adjustement and Retraining Notification Act requires companies with 75 or more full-time workers to provide 60 days notice of plant closings and mass layoffs.
Illinois labor department officials said they learned of a mass layoff expected to come soon at Granite City Works. And these forecasted layoffs follow others U.S. Steel announced in September, a state labor department news release stated.
River Mississippi News is awaiting a possible response to this matter from U.S. Steel’s media relations department.
“Mass layoffs impact entire communities,” Illinois’ labor department director Jane Flanagan said in the release. “At the Department of Labor, we want to ensure that workers are given the required notice under law before they are laid off. It is also our intention to make certain United States Steel Corporation has acted in compliance with the WARN Act.”
If found liable, U.S. Steel could owe up to 60 days of back pay and benefits to employees.
