Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, Local 7-629, Afl-Cio v. Rmi Titanium Company

**Union Loses Challenge Over Company Layoffs** This case involved a dispute between the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union and RMI Titanium Company over whether the company properly followed federal law when laying off workers. The union claimed that RMI Titanium violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires companies to give 60 days' advance notice before conducting large-scale layoffs or plant closures. The court ruled in favor of RMI Titanium Company. The judge found that the union failed to prove the company had conducted enough layoffs to trigger WARN Act requirements. Under federal law, companies must provide advance notice only when laying off 50 or more workers at a single location within a 30-day period (or other specific thresholds). The court determined that some of the layoffs the union counted shouldn't be included when calculating whether RMI Titanium reached the minimum number required under the law. This ruling matters for workers because it shows how strictly courts interpret WARN Act requirements. Companies may avoid giving advance notice if they can demonstrate their layoffs fall below federal thresholds. Workers should understand that WARN Act protections only apply to larger-scale job cuts, not smaller layoffs.