Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island companies with 75 or more employees which engage in "mass layoffs" would be required to notify state labor officials 60 days in advance of the job cuts, or provide additional severance pay, according to legislation introduced in the General Assembly.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Roberto DaSilva, D-East Providence, in response to the abrupt layoff of 280 former workers at bankrupt Colibri Group jewelry factory. It would expand the notification requirements and stiffen penalties under the existing federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, known as the WARN Act, which applies to companies with at least 100 employees.

A 2001 study by the Government Accounting Office found that less than a quarter of all plant closings and mass layoffs are subject to the WARN Act and that only about 36 percent of employers complied with the notification requirements.

In another labor complaint today, lawyers representing East Providence teachers asked the state Labor Relations Board today to agree that the city's School Committee violated state law when it unilaterally rolled back its teachers salaries' and forced them to pay toward their health care.

In the face of mounting layoffs, states across the country are considering legislation aimed at strengthening and expanding the protections provided under the federal law. So far, seven states -- California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, New York, New Jersey and Wisconsin -- have enacted more stringent state worker protection laws, according to the Maurice & Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice, a Detroit-based non-profit group that deals with labor issues.

The proposed Rhode Island Worker Protection and Job Loss Notification Act,scheduled to be heard in the House Labor Committee Wednesday, would provide severance pay -- equal to one week of pay for each full year of employment -- for workers who are terminated in less than the required 60 days. Employers who failed to give the required notice would face civil penalties of up to $500 per affected employee for each day of the violation.

 Tags  layoffs Rhode Island

Leave a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.