Chicago class-action law firm investigates Tyson Foods, Joslin, mass layoff

Strauss Borrelli PLLC, a class-action law firm in Chicago, is investigating the Tyson Foods' mass layoff in Joslin, according to a news release on the firm's website.

The WARN Act is a federal law that requires certain employers to notify their employees, in writing at least 60 days before a plant closing or mass layoff takes effect. "As a result, we believe Tyson Foods’ employees may be entitled to 60 days of severance pay and benefits," the firm's website says.

The federal law, known as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, requires covered employers to provide 60 days’ prior written notice to employees, their representatives, and certain government parties in the event of a mass layoff or plant closing, according to Strauss Borrelli PLLC: "We are investigating whether Tyson Foods failed to provide at least 60 days’ notice before laying off 2,500 employees and, therefore, violated the WARN Act."

About the WARN Act

According to the law firm's website, Congress passed the WARN Act, a federal law, in 1988. It requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide a 60-day notice of significant layoffs or plant closings. This notice gives workers and their families time to prepare for job loss, seek new employment, and pursue training or retraining opportunities. The WARN Act aims to reduce the impact of sudden job loss on workers and communities by ensuring they have sufficient time to transition.

Generally, employees must receive a WARN Act notice if they are laid off or if their hours are cut by 50% or more in any six-month period because of a plant closing or mass layoff. It is possible that a temporary layoff may still violate the Warn Act if it ends up lasting longer than six months.

Employers who do not follow the WARN Act rules, either by giving notice too late or providing unclear notices, may have to pay employees back pay and benefits for the time they were in violation.

"If you were laid off from Tyson Foods in Joslin, Illinois and did not receive 60 days’ notice or severance, we would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies. Please ... contact us at 872-263-1100 or here," the website says.

About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, is a multinational food company that produces and markets chicken, beef, pork, and prepared foods. It supplies products to grocery retailers, restaurants, food-service operators, schools, hospitals, military facilities, and other customers in the United States and international markets.

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