New Jersey WARN Act Amendments Expanding Coverage And Increasing Severance And Notice Requirements Now In Effect

In Short

The Situation: On January 10, 2023, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed A-4768, which started a 90-day countdown to the effective date of amendments (S-3170) to New Jersey's WARN Act, the Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act ("NJ WARN Act"). The amendments became effective on April 10, 2023.

The Result: The amendments have heightened employer requirements during layoffs, including mandatory severance and longer notice periods, and now cover more employers than did the prior version of the Act.

Looking Ahead: Employers currently evaluating or planning layoffs or a transfer/termination of operations must take notice of these changes and act accordingly. Employers that were not previously subject to the NJ WARN Act should reevaluate whether it now applies to them and also understand that a layoff impacting only 50 or more employees throughout the entire state now triggers NJ WARN notice requirements.