Warning usually comes ahead of biggest layoffs

Layoffs seemed to be nearly a daily occurrence in 2008, and they’re expected to continue through this year.

The state keeps a tally of some of the bigger job cuts in a report known as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act or WARN log.

The WARN log was enacted by Congress in 1989 as a protection for workers. It requires companies with more than 100 employees to give 60-day advance notice when they’re going to lay off a significant number of workers or close a plant. There are exceptions to the law, such as natural disasters or unforeseen business conditions that prevent a company from being able to give prior notice.

The list continues to grow, but it represents only a portion of the layoffs occurring in the state. The WARN data for metro Atlanta includes Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties.

Here’s a look at reported WARN job cuts in metro Atlanta:

> Companies announcing cuts: 72 in 2008;….53 in 2007

> Workers involved: ……7,806 in 2008; 5,210 in 2007

Largest announced cuts in 2008:

Wayne Farms, College Park ……597

City of Atlanta …………….441

General Motors, Doraville ……394

Airserv Corp., Atlanta……….352

Home Depot, Atlanta …………306

Newell Recycling, East Point….300

Atlanta Dairy, Atlanta……….236

Warranty Corp., Norcross……..225

Johnson Controls Inc., Suwanee..193

ABX Air Inc., Atlanta ……….190

 ELIZABETH LANDT / Staff 

CHEROKEE 
Number of announced cuts: 1 
Jobs affected: 145 
COBB 
Number of announced cuts: 11 
Jobs affected: 991 
FORSYTH 
Number of announced cuts: 2 
Jobs affected: 235 
FULTON 
Number of announced cuts: 30 
Jobs affected: 3,916 
GWINNETT 
Number of announced cuts: 12 
Jobs affected: 1,014 
DEKALB 
Number of announced cuts: 8 
Jobs affected: 1,013 
CLAYTON 
Number of announced cuts: 7 
Jobs affected: 447
ROCKDALE 
Number of announced cuts: 1 
Jobs affected: 45 

Note: Data are as of Dec. 23, 2008 
Source: Georgia Department of Labor