WA Mini-WARN: 60 days notice at 50+ employees. PFML workers protected.
Washington's Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act (SB 5525, effective July 27, 2025) is one of the most expansive state mini-WARN laws in the country. It applies to employers with 50+ full-time employees in Washington (lower than federal WARN's 100+) and requires 60 days written notice for mass layoffs (50+ workers) or business closures. Mass layoffs are not limited to single sites — statewide aggregation can trigger notice. Workers on Paid Family and Medical Leave cannot be included in mass layoffs. Failure to notify exposes employers to up to 60 days back pay plus benefits per affected worker, plus $500/day civil penalty payable to ESD.
WARN Act Workflow
Tracks WA workforce against the 50-employee threshold. Surfaces 60-day notice requirements before mass layoff or closure. Blocks PFML workers from inclusion. Generates required notice content.
What those rules do as bulk-termination workflow starts.
The hero card configuration: Critical on notice requirement, Block on missing notice, Block on PFML worker inclusion.
When a bulk-termination action would result in 50+ workers losing employment in a 30-day period, Teambridge surfaces a Critical indicator with the 60-day notice deadline. The system displays days from initiation to required notice date.
The bulk-termination workflow cannot proceed without proper WA-WARN notices delivered (to affected workers, applicable unions, and ESD). Without confirmation of delivery, the workflow blocks at the close step.
When constructing the layoff list, any worker currently on PFML leave is automatically blocked from inclusion. WA-WARN explicitly prohibits this. Workers on PSL/PSST or other statutory leave are also flagged for review.
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WA-WARN expands federal WARN in three directions.
Federal WARN applies to employers with 100+ FTEs and requires single-site mass layoff with 33% of workforce. WA-WARN applies at 50+ employees, drops the 33% requirement, and aggregates statewide.
Coverage and triggers
WA-WARN applies to private employers with 50+ full-time employees in Washington (excluding part-time, defined as fewer than 20 hours/week or fewer than 6 of the past 12 months employed). Triggers: (1) business closing — permanent or temporary shutdown of a single site that results in 50+ employment losses; (2) mass layoff — 50+ employment losses in a 30-day period (NOT limited to single site, NOT limited to 33% of workforce). The latter is significantly broader than federal WARN.
60-day notice content
Notice must go to: (a) affected workers (or their union representatives), and (b) Employment Security Department. Required content includes: name and address of site, contact for further information, expected date of first employment loss, schedule for subsequent losses, job titles and names of affected workers (with addresses on the ESD copy), whether action is permanent or temporary, and whether the action results from relocation or contracting out (a WA-specific requirement).
Teambridge gates bulk-termination workflows.
WA-WARN is operationally heavy because the broader scope (statewide aggregation, no 33% requirement) catches employers used to federal WARN's narrower triggers.
50-employee count maintained.
Teambridge tracks total Washington employee count. As the count crosses 50, WA-WARN coverage activates. Cross-state employers see the WA-specific count separately from total firm headcount.
Notice triggers block close.
When a workflow would result in 50+ separations in 30 days, the workflow flags as WA-WARN-triggered. The 60-day notice requirement displays prominently. Close blocks until notice is on file.
Auto-removes from list.
When constructing the layoff list, any worker currently on PFML is removed automatically. Workers on PSL/PSST surface for manual review (selection isn't blocked but should not be retaliatory).
Template-driven.
Teambridge generates the notice content from templates, populated with worker-specific data. Worker copies, ESD copy, and union copies (if applicable) format separately. Delivery confirmation tracked.
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