The Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification (“WARN”) Act requires employers to provide California workers with at least sixty (60) days’ notice regarding a mass termination or plant closing. California Labor Code §§ 1400-1408. The requirements apply to California employers that have employed at least seventy-five (75) California workers in the past twelve (12) months. In addition, AB 1601 expands the WARN Act to provide coverage to California workers in call centers. California Labor Code § 1409(a). The law takes effect in 2023.
Call centers are defined as a facility where California workers receive telephone calls or other electronic communications as their primary function to provide customer service or other related functions. California Labor Code § 1409(b)(2). A call center relocation occurs when the employer intends to move its call center, or at least thirty percent (30%) of the call center’s total volume over the past twelve (12) months to a foreign country. California Labor Code § 1409(b)(3).
WARN Act call center notices must include the following language at the top of the notice: “This notice is for the relocation of a call center.” California Labor Code § 1410(a).