Advance Notice: Public and Private Sector Policy and Practice

GAO discussed the public and private sector's policies and practices for advance notice of business closures and mass layoffs. GAO noted that: (1) Congress enacted legislation that required states to organize local assistance response teams to encourage the establishment of labor-management committees to help implement assistance to dislocated workers; (2) Congress enacted legislation requiring large private-sector employers to provide at least 60 days notice to affected workers, the local community, and dislocated worker unit; (3) most federal civilian organizations adopted Office of Personnel Management regulations requiring a minimum 30-day notice of a reduction in force, and 3 of the 4 Department of Defense (DOD) organizations GAO surveyed required a minimum 60-day notice; and (4) 16 DOD installations gave more than 30 days notice, with 15 giving 60 days or more notice to their workers of an upcoming reduction in force.