Washington § 49.45.020 - Notice requirement.

(1)(a) Subject to RCW 49.45.030, an employer may not order a business closing or a mass layoff until the end of a 60-day period that begins after the employer, pursuant to this section, serves written notice of such action to the department and to the affected employee or, if the employee is represented by a union, to the employee's bargaining representative.

(b) An employer who has previously announced and carried out a short-term mass layoff of three months or less that is extended beyond three months due to business circumstances not reasonably foreseeable at the time of the initial mass layoff is required to give notice when it becomes reasonably foreseeable that the extension is required. A mass layoff extending beyond three months from the date the mass layoff commenced for any other reason must be treated as an employment loss from the date of commencement of the initial mass layoff.

(c) In the case of the sale of part or all of a business, the seller is responsible for providing notice of any business closing or mass layoff which will take place up to and on the effective date of the sale. The buyer is responsible for providing notice of any business closing or mass layoff that will take place thereafter.

(2) Notice from the employer to the department and affected employees or, if the employees are represented, the employees' bargaining representative must be in written form, include the elements required, as they exist on July 27, 2025, by the federal worker adjustment and retraining notification act, 29 U.S.C. Sec. 2101 et seq., and include the following:

(a) The name and address of the employment site where the business closing or mass layoff will occur, and the name and contact information of a company official to contact for further information;

(b) A statement whether the planned action is expected to be permanent or temporary and, if the entire business is to be closed, a statement to that effect. If the planned action is expected to be temporary, the statement must also include whether the planned action is expected to last longer or shorter than three months;

(c) The expected date of the first employment loss and the anticipated schedule for employment losses;

(d) The job titles of positions to be affected;

(e) Whether the mass layoff or business closing is the result of, or will result in, the relocation or contracting out of the employer's operations or the employees' positions; and

(f) For the notice provided to the department and, if the employees are represented, the employees' bargaining representative, the names and addresses of the employees currently holding the affected job.

(3) The employer must provide additional notice of the date or schedule of dates of a planned business closing or mass layoff extended beyond the date of any period announced in the original notice.

Effective date—2026 c 86: See note following RCW 42.56.230.