NJDOL Revises NJ WARN Act Notification Form and Provides for On-Line Submission

The New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) recently posted a revised notification form for employers to use in complying with certain notification obligations under the state’s plant closing/mass layoff notification law (NJ WARN Act).

Unlike the Department’s prior (March 20, 2008) version of the NJ WARN Act notice form, the new online notification form requires the identification of the employer’s industry (e.g., manufacturing, service, other) and requests the titles of the employees to be laid off as well as the number of terminated employees in each title (the prior form only asked for the number of employees laid off). Most significantly, this version of the form must be submitted electronically to the NJDOL, rather than printed and mailed. (For non-Department of Labor recipients – the chief elected official, the employees, and their union – the completed form must be printed out, with separate copies mailed to each recipient.)

The NJDOL has advised our firm that this new online version of the NJ WARN Act notification is intended to streamline the Department’s implementation of its “Rapid Reemployment Initiative,” a program seeking to connect displaced employees with hiring employers. The Department also has advised our firm that employers may continue to use the prior version of the notice, rather than this new online notice, unless advised otherwise.

Note: This article was published in the September 2009 issue of the New Jersey eAuthority.