In the wake of the Colibri Group's closing of a Rhode Island jewelry factory without advance notice to workers, Representative Roberto DaSilva has introduced legislation before the state House of Representatives to require advance notice of worksite closings and mass layoffs. The Rhode Island Worker Protection and Job Loss Notification Act (House Bill 5673) would apply to employers with 75 or more workers and to employer's facilities that have been in existence for over three years or have employed 75 or more workers at the site over the prior twelve months.
Under the bill, employers would be required to provide 60 days advance notice of worksite closings, mass layoffs, and transfers of operations when 25 or more employees lose their job as a result of the action. Employers who provide less than the required notice would be required to pay severance pay of one week's pay for each year of the affected employee's service with the company. The bill also establishes the agencies and persons to whom notice must be provided, the contents of the notice, and establishes a state rapid response team with proscribed duties.
The bill was introduced on February 25, 2009 and remains pending before the House Labor Committee. For more information on the termination of Colibri's workforce without advance notice, please see various articles at the Rhode Island's Future website.
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