An Act relative to the notification of large job layoffs

This bill requires employers in Massachusetts to provide written notice to the state commissioner at least 60 days before implementing a plant closing, partial closing, or mass layoff. It defines a mass layoff as the reduction of at least 25 workers and 25 percent of the workforce, or at least 200 workers, within a single municipality or employment site over a 30-day period. The law mandates that this notice must include specific information required by federal standards to help determine employees' reemployment assistance benefits. Employers who fail to provide the required notice before ordering these actions become liable to affected employees for back pay based on their average regular rate of compensation.