In this guide9 sections
In July 2025, Intel told employees it was cutting its workforce by about 15%, and WARN notices filed that month showed close to 2,000 of those layoffs at its Folsom and Santa Clara sites. If you lost a job at Intel or any large California employer, you may be entitled to advance notice, full final pay on your last day, time to review a severance offer, extra protections at 40 or older, and unemployment benefits.
Key takeaways
- Covered California employers generally must give 60 days’ written notice before a mass layoff, closure or relocation (Labor Code §1401).
- If you are laid off, all final wages, including earned vacation, are due on your last day (Labor Code §§201, 227.3).
- You must get at least five business days to consider a separation agreement (Gov. Code §12964.5); age-claim waivers in a group layoff generally require 45 days.
- A layoff can’t be used to target workers for a protected trait, a complaint or protected leave.
What Intel announced
In a July 24, 2025 message to employees, Intel’s CEO said the company was reducing headcount by about 15% and expected to end 2025 with a global workforce of about 75,000. He wrote that there were “no more blank checks,” and dropped planned projects in Germany and Poland.
News reports in July 2025 said WARN filings showed nearly 2,000 layoffs at Intel’s Folsom and Santa Clara sites and about 2,500 in Oregon. Follow California filings on our California layoff tracker.
Cal-WARN: 60 days’ notice
California’s WARN Act covers an establishment that employs, or employed in the past 12 months, 75 or more people, counting workers employed at least 6 of the prior 12 months. The employer generally must give 60 days’ written notice before laying off 50 or more employees in a 30-day period, closing a site, or relocating 100 miles or more. Notice goes to affected employees, EDD, the local workforce board and local officials. Since January 1, 2026, it must also include CalFresh and rapid response information.
Unlike federal law, Cal-WARN counts the number of people laid off at the site, not their share of the workforce. If required notice wasn’t given, affected employees may recover back pay and benefits for up to 60 days, or half the days worked if less (§1402), and workers who win in court may recover attorney’s fees (§1404). The federal WARN Act can apply too. See Cal-WARN notice rights.
Final pay and vacation
When you are laid off, your final wages are due immediately, on your last day (Labor Code §201). Earned, unused vacation or PTO must be paid out at your final rate (§227.3). A willfully late final check can trigger a waiting-time penalty of a day’s wages for each day late, up to 30 days (§203). Our guide to final paycheck rules has the details.
Example (hypothetical): Priya, a Folsom engineer, gets 60 days of paid notice and a severance offer. Her vacation payout still belongs in her final check, with or without a signed release.
Severance: read before you sign
California generally doesn’t require severance. When it’s offered, it usually comes in exchange for releasing legal claims. Your employer must tell you that you may consult a lawyer and give you at least five business days to decide (Gov. Code §12964.5), and it can’t make you sign a release to get wages already owed (Labor Code §206.5).
If you are 40 or older and the layoff is part of a group program, federal law generally requires 45 days to consider a waiver of age claims, seven days to revoke after signing, and a written disclosure of the job titles and ages of those selected and not selected, according to the EEOC. That list can show whether older workers were hit harder. See severance agreement review.
When a layoff may be unlawful
A real restructuring is legal, but a layoff may still be unlawful if you were selected because of age, disability, race or another protected trait, a pay or safety complaint, or protected leave. Watch for selection right after a complaint or leave, or your role being refilled. Request your personnel file and payroll records and keep your review history.
Unemployment
File with EDD as soon as your work ends. EDD reviews severance and pay in lieu of notice to decide whether they affect your benefits, so report them accurately.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cal-WARN apply if only part of my site was cut?
It can. Laying off 50 or more employees at a covered site within 30 days generally counts as a mass layoff.
How long do I have to sign a severance agreement?
At least five business days under California law, and generally 45 days for an age-claim waiver in a group layoff.
Can I collect unemployment if I got severance?
Often, yes, but EDD decides how the payments affect benefits. Report them when you file.
What if I was laid off right after a complaint or medical leave?
The timing may be evidence of retaliation. Keep records and get advice before signing a release.
Talk to a California employment lawyer
Employees First Labor Law represents workers exclusively. We offer free virtual consultations to review layoff notices, severance agreements and final pay. Contact us or call (310) 853-3461.
This article is general information about California law as of 2026, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
