Contractors Ignore GOP Warnings on Layoffs

Despite growing warnings from GOP Senators, government contractors appear unconvinced that they must issue sequester-related layoff notices before the elections next month to comply with federal law.

Though a trio of Senators has traveled the country warning of impending job losses caused by automatic budget cuts that take effect Jan. 2, industry insiders and budget experts say defense contractors are unlikely to need to lay off workers on the day the cuts are scheduled to begin.


Assurances from the White House helped, including word from the Office of Management and Budget last week that the federal government would help cover litigation costs associated with compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires employers with at least 100 employees to provide written notice to affected employees 60 days before ordering certain plant closings or mass layoffs if they are reasonably foreseeable. If layoffs were expected Jan. 2, notices would need to go out in the first few days of November — a scenario Republicans believe could create a problem for President Barack Obama just days before the election.


http://www.rollcall.com/issues/58_28/Contractors-Ignore-GOP-Warnings-on-Layoffs-218129-1.html?pos=hln