New Iowa Warn Act Requires Written Notice But Not a Labor Law Poster

Iowa has joined more than a dozen other states that have passed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) laws supplementing the federal law.

The Iowa bill was signed into law on March 22, and goes into effect on July 1.

The legislation requires employers to provide 30 days written notice of business closings and mass layoffs or face penalties.   However, the law does not require a new Iowa labor law poster, according to Iowa Department of Workforce Development which is responsible for investigating and enforcing the law.

The Iowa WARN Act applies to businesses with 25 or more employees, excluding part-time employees.  

Other states that have passed “mini-WARN” legislation include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

There are several differences between the Iowa WARN and the federal WARN.   The federal WARN:

• Applies to employers with 100 or more employees
• Requires 60 days notice
• Authorizes greater penalties.

For further information about the Iowa labor law poster or other federal or state labor law poster questions, go to the Poster Compliance Center Iowa labor law poster page or call 1-800-322-3636.