In 1988, Congress passed the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act to provide workers with sufficient time to prepare for the transition between the jobs they currently hold and new jobs. It also provides protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide 60 days notice in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. This notice must be provided to either affected workers or their representatives (i.e. a labor union), to the state Workforce Transition Unit and the appropriate unit of local government.