Tennessee rapid response: layoff support for employers

Federal WARN Act notice

• The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act generally covers employers with 100 or more employees, not counting part-time workers.
• A covered employer gives 60 calendar days’ written notice before a plant closing or mass layoff.
• Notice goes to affected employees (or their union), the state dislocated worker unit, and the chief elected official of the local government.
• Some states have their own, broader notice laws. Check Tennessee’s with the state labor department or counsel.

Check whether WARN notice applies to your layoff. General information, not legal advice.

Workforce boards in Tennessee

State and local rapid response teams work with employers before and after a layoff to connect workers to services. Start with the board for the county where the workers are.

• East Tennessee Workforce Development Board

  Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Union

• Greater Memphis Workforce Development Board

  Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby, Tipton

• Northeast Tennessee Workforce Development Board

  Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington

• Northern Middle Tennessee Workforce Development Board

  Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, Wilson

• Northwest Tennessee Workforce Development Board

  Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Weakley

• Southeast Tennessee Workforce Development Board

  Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie

• Southern Middle Tennessee Workforce Development Board

  Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Wayne

• Southwest Tennessee Workforce Development Board

  Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McNairy

• Upper Cumberland Local Workforce Development Board , Inc.

  Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, White

All Tennessee boards and 65 job centers