AB 1601 – Amends The Cal/WARN Act To Grant Authority To Labor Commissioner To Enforce And Investigate Violations

The California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (Cal/WARN Act) prohibits an employer from ordering a mass layoff, relocation, or termination of employees, at a covered establishment, as defined, without giving written notice of the order to certain parties and entities, including the employees, the Employment Development Department, and specified local officials.

Assembly Bill 1061 (AB 1601) modifies the Cal/WARN Act to, among other things, authorize the Labor Commissioner to enforce the Cal/WARN Act’s notice requirements concerning a mass layoff, relocation, or termination of employees, to investigate an alleged violation, and to order appropriate temporary relief to mitigate the violation pending the completion of a full investigation or hearing, including by issuing a citation against the employer who violated the Cal/WARN Act.

AB 1601 takes effect on January 1, 2023.

(AB 1601 amends, renumbers, and/or adds Sections 1400 through 1413 of the Labor Code.)