WARN Act: Obama Administration, Layoffs

I can't take it anymore.

I can't wait for the abusive, highly political, sleazy Obama administration to be history.

Obama's Labor Department actually has instructed contractors not to issue layoffs before the November election.

From The Hill:

The Obama administration issued new guidance intended for defense contractors Friday afternoon, reiterating the administration’s position that the companies should not be issuing layoff notices over sequestration.

The Labor Department issued guidance in July saying it would be “inappropriate” for contractors to issue notices of potential layoffs tied to sequestration cuts. But a few contractors, most notably Lockheed Martin, said they still were considering whether to issue the notices — which would be sent out just days before the November election.

But the Friday guidance from the Office of Management and Budget raised the stakes in the dispute, telling contractors that they would be compensated for legal costs if layoffs occur due to contract cancellations under sequestration — but only if the contractors follow the Labor guidance.

The guidance said that if plant closings or mass layoffs occur under sequestration, then “employee compensation costs for [Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification] WARN act liability as determined by a court” would be paid for covered by the contracting federal agency.

Senate Republicans, who accused the White House of trying to hide job losses after the first guidance, said Friday that the new OMB statement “puts politics ahead of American workers.”

“The Obama Administration is cynically trying to skirt the WARN Act to keep the American people in the dark about this looming national security and fiscal crisis,” Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said in a statement. “The president should insist that companies act in accordance with the clearly stated law and move forward with the layoff notices.”

This is outrageous.

There is so much that's wrong with this.

The abuse of power is unconscionable. It really is.

Forget about the political corruption aspect of this for a moment. Not issuing the WARN Act will have a direct impact on hundreds of thousands of employees if they are laid off without notice.

According to the WARN Act:

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) protects workers, their families, and communities by requiring most employers with 100 or more employees to provide notification 60 calendar days in advance of plant closings and mass layoffs.

Employee entitled to notice under WARN include managers and supervisors, as well as hourly and salaried workers. WARN requires that notice also be given to employees' representatives, the local chief elected official, and the state dislocated worker unit.

Advance notice gives workers and their families some transition time to adjust to the prospective loss of employment, to seek and obtain other jobs, and, if necessary, to enter skill training or retraining that will allow these workers to compete successfully in the job market.

I thought Obama was supposed to be the compassionate, caring guy, looking out for middle class workers.

Skirting the WARN Act, stripping workers of that protection, isn't the move of someone who cares about working Americans. It's the move of someone who puts his personal political gain ahead of the people he was elected to SERVE.

Besides this unforgivable dismissal of the impact on workers by this ruthless administration is the potential burden on taxpayers.

It is absurd for the Obama administration to suggest the government will cover any lawsuits brought forward by employees affected by the layoffs.

That means WE will pay the bill for Obama's sleazy political tactics.

This is yet another disgraceful move by Obama. He's so cold. He's such a hypocrite. He's a fraud.

And the Obama economy is a disaster.

The guy is going to have quite a legacy as president.