Uber Layoffs in Chicago: 363 Jobs, the WARN Notice and What to Do Before You Sign

Uber told the State of Illinois on September 2, 2026 that it will cut 363 positions at its Chicago office at 433 West Van Buren Street, with a first layoff date of November 2, 2026. The filing lists the reason as a mass layoff. It is part of a company-wide reduction of about 3,300 jobs, roughly 10 percent of Uber's staff, announced the same day in a memo from the chief executive titled "Building a simpler, faster Uber."

If you are one of the 363, the next few weeks decide more than the layoff itself: what you are paid on the way out, what you give up when you sign the severance papers, and whether the way you were selected was lawful. This article covers the rules that apply in Illinois and the questions worth asking before you sign anything.

What the WARN notice actually promises

Two laws require advance notice of a mass layoff, and Uber's Chicago office falls under both.

• Illinois WARN Act (820 ILCS 65). It covers employers with 75 or more full-time employees and defines a mass layoff as job losses at one site, within 30 days, for at least 25 full-time employees who make up a third of the site, or for 250 or more full-time employees. Covered employers must give 60 days' written notice before the layoff takes effect (820 ILCS 65, Sections 5 and 10).
• Federal WARN Act. It covers employers with 100 or more employees and also requires 60 days' notice to the affected employees or their representative, the state, and the local government (29 U.S.C. 2102).

Counting from the September 2 filing to the November 2 first layoff date gives 61 days, so the public dates clear the 60-day minimum on paper. What the dates do not show is when each employee was told. If an employer orders a covered layoff without the full notice, the law makes it liable to each affected employee for back pay and benefits for each day the notice fell short, up to 60 days, at the higher of the employee's average pay over the last three years or the final rate of pay (820 ILCS 65/35; 29 U.S.C. 2104). An Illinois employee can file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Labor, which enforces the state act.

Keep the notice you received, with its date. It is the document that matters if the count is ever disputed.

Your final paycheck in Illinois

The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act requires an employer to pay a separated employee all final compensation at the time of separation if possible, and in no case later than the next regularly scheduled payday (820 ILCS 115/5). Earned, unused vacation must be paid out as part of final compensation at your final rate, and a policy or contract cannot forfeit vacation you already earned. If you ask in writing, the employer must mail the check.

Check the final pay stub against your vacation balance and any commissions or bonuses you had already earned. A wage claim for a shortfall goes to the Illinois Department of Labor.

The severance agreement: what the clock looks like

No Illinois law requires severance pay. When it is offered, it comes with a release: you give up claims against the company in exchange for the payment. Two sets of rules shape how much time you have.

• If you are 40 or older, the federal Older Workers Benefit Protection Act sets minimum terms for any release of age discrimination claims: the agreement must be written plainly, must refer to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, must advise you in writing to consult an attorney, must give you at least 21 days to consider it, or 45 days when the release is part of a group layoff program, and must allow 7 days to revoke after signing. For a group program the employer must also give you, in writing, the job titles and ages of the people selected and not selected in your unit (29 U.S.C. 626(f)(1)). A release that skips these steps does not bar an age claim.
• For confidentiality terms about harassment or discrimination, the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act allows them in a separation agreement only on conditions that include 21 days to consider the agreement and 7 days to revoke it (820 ILCS 96).

Signing early is allowed; being pressured to sign early is not what the law contemplates. The ages-and-titles disclosure for group layoffs is also where a pattern becomes visible: if the people selected skew older, or toward people who recently took leave or raised complaints, that is the moment to ask questions before the release is signed.

Was the selection lawful?

A reduction in force is lawful when the reasons are business reasons. It is not lawful when the people chosen were picked because of age (40 and over), disability, pregnancy, race, sex, national origin, religion, or because they took protected leave or complained about something at work. The Illinois Human Rights Act covers most of these grounds, and since January 1, 2025 a charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights can be filed within two years of the act complained of (Public Act 103-0973; IDHR announcement). A charge with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must be filed within 300 days.

Those deadlines are long. The practical deadline is the one in the severance agreement, because the release closes most of these claims the day it becomes effective.

Unemployment and what comes next

Apply for unemployment insurance with the Illinois Department of Employment Security as soon as your last day is set; severance pay and benefits do not have to be settled first, and eligibility and timing rules are on the IDES site. If your offer letter or a separate agreement contains a non-compete, Illinois law voids such covenants for employees earning $75,000 a year or less and sets other conditions for the rest (820 ILCS 90), so have the clause read before you turn down work.

Questions people in this situation ask

Does the 60-day notice mean I keep my job for 60 days? It means the layoff cannot take effect before the end of the notice period; employers sometimes pay the period out instead of keeping people at work. Either way, the pay and benefits for those days are owed.

Can I negotiate the severance? Yes. The 21 or 45 days exist so the terms can be reviewed and questioned. An attorney can tell you what the release covers and whether the payment matches what you may be giving up.

I was told in person before the filing date. Does that change the count? It can. The 60 days run from the written notice to you, not from the date the state was told. Keep every dated message.

Think you have a case? Start here. Tell us about your situation and we connect you with an employment attorney near you in Illinois. Free, no obligation, about two minutes. Most employment claims are screened at no cost. Get matched free.

This article explains general rules; it is not legal advice, and AttorneyReview is a matching service, not a law firm. Deadlines and terms depend on your agreement and your facts.