WARN Reporting & Services

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The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and Local Workforce Innovation Areas (LWIA) provide services to Illinois employers planning or experiencing layoffs. Layoffs can be reported by individuals, employers, DCEO, and LWIAs.

The Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) requires applicable employers to provide advanced notification of a plant closure or mass layoff.

Visit the WARN Layoff Search to view WARN layoff data.

Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity

WARN Layoff

The Illinois WARN Law differs from the Federal WARN Act. Differences in Illinois WARN requirements include:

Applies to employers with 75 or more full-time workers.
Definition of “Mass Layoff” triggering notice requirements:

25 or more full-time employees are laid off, and they constitute one-third or more of the full-time employees at the site or
250 or more full-time employees are laid off at a single site.

Definition of “Plant Closure” triggering notice requirements:

Closure of a site that employs 50 or more employees.

Enforcement of the Act. Under federal WARN, neither the federal government nor the state may initiate actions for alleged non-compliance. Only employees and local government officials may initiate action in federal court.

The Illinois WARN Law maintains that the Director of the Illinois Department of Labor is to make rules with “provisions that allow the parties access to administrative hearings for any actions of the Department under the Act.” Furthermore, in “any investigation or proceeding under this Act,” the Director has the authority to “examine the books and records of an employer” to determine whether a violation of this Act has occurred.”

Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

Submit a WARN Notice

WARN correspondence should be submitted by email. If you cannot submit via email, the notice should be mailed to Illinois’ Department of Commerce Office of Employment and Training.

By Email:

John.Ray@Illinois.gov
Office: (217) 299-2815

By Mail:

Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity

Office of Employment & Training

Attention: John Ray

607 East Adams Street, 3rd Floor

Springfield, IL 62701

WARN Notice Correspondence:

Notifications of plant closings or mass layoffs from employers to the State Rapid Response Coordinator must contain the following:

Name and address of the employment site where the plant closing or mass layoff will occur;

Employer’s Federal Identification Number (FEIN) for the dislocating company;

Nature of the planned action (i.e. whether it is a plant closing or mass layoff and whether or not the employment loss will be temporary or permanent);

Reason for the plant closing or mass layoff. Please indicate if impacted workers are energy workers or workers adversely affected by foreign imports or job shifts to a foreign country, as they may be eligible for additional assistance;

Expected date of the first separation and the anticipated schedule for any further separations;

Job titles of positions to be affected and the number of affected employees in each job classification (for multiple sites, list per site);

Number of full-time employees at the location;

Statement as to the existence of bumping rights, if any exist;

Name of each union representing affected employees (if applicable) and the name and address of the chief elected officer of each union (please state if none);

Name, address, email, and telephone number of a company official to contact for additional information.

Illinois WARN Complaints

Contact the Illinois Department of Labor to file a complaint regarding the Illinois WARN Act:

Robert Parrilli, Division Manager

Conciliation and Mediation Division

160 N. LaSalle St. Suite C-1300

Chicago IL, 60601-3150

(312) 793-3600

Additional details are found in the File a WARN Notice or Illinois WARN Complaint.

The Business Economic Support Act (BESA)

In the State of Illinois, Public Act 87-130 Section 15 states any business or industry is “required to provide notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and receiving State or local economic development incentives for doing or continuing to do business in this State, in addition to the notice required under federal law, shall also provide at the same time a copy of that federal notice to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Mayor of each municipality where the private entity has locations in this State.” Review BESA and the WARN Employer Guide.

Rapid Response Services

The State Dislocated Worker Unit will contact an employer upon submission of the WARN correspondence to coordinate Rapid Response workshops to inform workers and employers about employment and retraining services designed to help impacted workers retain employment when feasible or obtain re-employment as soon as possible. Employers can include an alternative contact in the WARN correspondence to coordinate Rapid Response services if applicable.

Contacts

Illinois Rapid Response Regional Contacts

Kelly Lapetino

Northern Illinois

Kelly.Lapetino@Illinois.gov

Annamarie Dorr