Services For Layoffs and Plant Closings
Rapid Response Services are designed to respond to layoffs of more than 50 employees. However, in Alabama, similar services to layoffs with fewer than 50 workers are extended as determined to be necessary and appropriate to the individual circumstances. Contact your State Dislocated Worker Unit for more information.
The Workforce Development Division (WDD) has been designated to serve as the State Dislocated Worker Unit for the State of Alabama. This is the office to which notices required under the Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification Act (WARN) (60-day advance notice of plant closings/mass layoff law) should be submitted in Alabama.
Your State Dislocated Worker Unit can help you manage the multiple priorities created by your layoff at no cost to you. The sooner workers start to manage the transition, the better the outcome for themselves and you, the employer. Studies show that the change can be smoother once your workers know that you are concerned about their transition. Rapid Response can help you:
· Better manage human resource needs, Unemployment Insurance costs, and Workers’ Compensation costs during the transition;
· Assist affected employees return to work and maintain their standard of living;
· Demonstrate good corporate citizenship in the community.
In working with your State Dislocated Worker Unit or local One-Stop Career Center, you can expect:
· A quick response to your transition planning needs (you will be contacted shortly after notifying the Dislocated Worker Unit);
· Confidentiality concerning your business decision;
· Assistance in understanding government regulations;
· Information about alternatives that may help reduce or avoid the layoff, or possible future layoffs;
· Help in conducting an orderly shutdown;
· Pre-layoff services designed to help workers shorten their transition time;
· Help in managing Human Resource and UI/Worker Compensation costs;
· Assistance in maintaining worker morale and productivity during the transition;
· Assistance in preparing affected workers to find new employment;
· Coordination of services for your employees with your local Workforce Investment Board and One-Stop Career Center, and
· Coordination with private outplacement services that you may decide to provide.
In Alabama, official WARN notices and/or written requests for Rapid Response Team assistance (including questions concerning available services) should be directed to the following:
Governor's Office of Workforce Development (GOWD)
Field Services Division
State Rapid Response Coordinator
649 Monroe Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36131
Telephone: 1-800-562-4916 Toll-Free
334-242-8012 Fax
DWU-Warn@adeca.alabama.gov
Note: The Governor's Office of Workforce Development (GOWD) has no administrative or enforcement authority under the Warn Act, and therefore does not provide legal advice or interpretations relative to specific provisions of the Act as they may apply to a specific dislocation events (i.e. Plant/Facility Closing/Layoff). Questions relative to employer / employee relationships (including oral or written employment contracts or agreements), and/or interpretation of provisions of the WARN Act as they may apply to circumstances relating to specific layoff actions should be addressed by legal professionals.
Copies of WARN Act brochures may be requested from the State Dislocated Worker Unit at the above address. WARN Act regulations may be access on the Internet at Federal Regulations 20 CFR Part 629.
The "Alabama WARN list" which identifies dislocation events (plants closures and layoffs) either reported to the Alabama State Dislocated Worker Unit under requirements of the WARN Act and those events where Rapid Response Team assistance has been activated may be accessed on the Internet at: http://www.adeca.alabama.gov\wdd\default.asp