I have seen a ton of posts where people simply cut and paste the Federal WARN procedeure, but nobody can seem to explain something simple. Note to self: Please do not cut and paste the WARN rules here and waste all of our time reading it again! Let me give you a scenario. I live and work in NC. Verizon has several large offices in the state. If Verizon lays off less than 500 people at any one location in NC will I receive 30 or 60 days on payroll with the WARN? I have heard it defaults back to the state law and supersedes the Federal and I have also heard that Verizon normally gives 60 days, unless you are in a state with mini-warn like NJ which is 90 days. Anybody know the answer or do I have to wait until 11/20 to find out.
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With ALL of the AI products that are free and can search this... Why are you asking here?
So for everyone that has said Verizon has to follow the Federal Warn Act of 60 days. Why am I hearing from my leadership and in posts that some people may be off payroll as soon as 30 days depending on your state??
North Carolina relies on the "FEDERAL WARN ACT". There is no separate, active state WARN-NC law in place. More information specific to the state of North Carolina (NC) can be found on this state website;
https://www.commerce.nc.gov/business/business-closure-resources/file-warn-notice
In short, NC would follow "FEDERAL WARN ACT"...
WARN is usually 60 days and it has to impact more than 50 employees. However depending on your State, it can be 90 days such as NJ and NY. You would have to look up for your State. Either way it's not filed until the day of or after of when a RIF is done. It is based on the number of people within the Stare that is let go. So if only 30 people are let go in a State, they get 30 days.
The WARN Act is a federal law. Verizon must still comply with the WARN Act (60 days notice) even if the state does not have its own WARN Act.
Example for state of Texas:
Texas does not have its own state-specific WARN Act, but Texas employers must still comply with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires 60 days' notice for mass layoffs or plant closings. While Texas doesn't have a state version, the federal law still applies to companies with 100 or more employees.
I live in NJ and was RIFd 1st Q 2025. The WARN Act is by state for states that participate (so look it up for your state) which NJ does and requires 90 days notice. It is triggered by having a certain % of the total impacted employees living in the state. With this large of a layoff, I would assume it will. I had 90 days notice vs what the others received which at the time was 6 weeks for US impacted resources. This counts as time employed and that additional time will factor into your severance payout.
You will also qualify for unemployment again based on the state you live in. I received a separate letter from HR providing details around that.
From what I understand the purpose behind WARN is not meant for employees but for the state to know they will be taking a cash hit on the unemployment cash stash. They need to keep it funded.
In short, for mass layoffs they have to notify you 60 days (depending on the state) in advanced of your last day.
To get around this, they can tell you and then pay you for 60 days.
Oversimplifying here, but this is the basics.
commerce nv gov
@OP I also live in NC and from what I’ve read, VZ doesn’t have to provide WARN if they provide severance to employees.
But then again, I read that it’s required…
How the WARN Act applies to Verizon
Mass layoffs: The WARN Act mandates that employers like Verizon must provide 60 days' notice before a mass layoff or plant closing.
Notice filings: In cases of layoffs, Verizon is required to file WARN notices with the appropriate state agencies, such as the one filed with the State of New Jersey for 50 employees in the Basking Ridge office to be let go on December 1, 2024.
Worker protection: The purpose of the act is to protect employees, their families, and communities by providing advance warning so affected workers can prepare and find new employment or training.
Potential damages: If an employer fails to provide proper notice, employees may be entitled to damages equal to 60 days' pay and benefits.
Recent Verizon layoffs and the WARN Act
Job cuts: Verizon has recently announced significant job cuts, reportedly around 15,000 jobs in November 2025, as part of a cost-cutting initiative.
WARN notice compliance: While the recent 15,000-job layoff has not yet been detailed, it is anticipated that Verizon will have to file the required WARN notices for its compliance with the law.
So this is only my experience with a layoff a couple of years back at AT&T - take it with a huge grain of salt.
I was caught up in a fairly substantial number of layoffs in 2022 (several thousand, though I can't remember the exact number.) However, the layoffs were spread across so many different locations that the magic number to trigger a WARN notification wasn't reached, so it didn't apply. Whether it was good planning or d-mb luck, I have no idea