Many of you may remember the Federal Warn Act – an Act which requires 60 days notice of a company’s intent to shut down a location with 100 or more employees (with various exceptions, of course). What is not largely known is that New Jersey passed a “baby” Warn Act earlier this year. 

This Act reduces the number of required full time employees from 100 to 50.  The New Jersey WARN Act also eliminates the useful exception in the federal Act, which allows for termination of employees within a certain time period and other exceptions, which weakened the original federal Act. 

In short, the New Jersey Warn Act is a force to be reckoned with as we head deeper into the current recession.  Employers shutting down any office location should seek legal counsel prior to taking action.