Hartford Insurance to Close Brea Operation
The Hartford Insurance Group of Connecticut said Thursday that it plans to shut down clerical operations in Brea and Walnut Creek on May 26, and that 205 workers at the two facilities must either transfer to Hartford operations in other states or lose their jobs.
About 65 employees at a Brea underwriting and service center and about 140 employees at a Walnut Creek processing center will be affected, said Hartford spokesman Richard A. Bulat.
The two offices will be shut down because of cost-cutting measures and the increased use of automation, Bulat said.
Although a new federal law requires companies to give workers at least 60 days’ notice of layoffs, Bulat said the Hartford employees were given 4 1/2 months’ advance warning.
“It’s always been our policy to give as much notice as possible,” he said.
Most of the Brea workers have the option of transfering to a regional office in Reno, and most Walnut Creek workers can transfer to an office in San Antonio, Tex., Bulat said.
After the closures, Bulat said, Hartford will still have 1,200 employees in California at offices in Diamond Bar, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento.
The advance warning law went into effect Feb. 4. Called the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, it requires 60 days’ notice of most business shutdowns involving 50 or more full-time workers. Violators are subject to fines up to $30,000 and payment of up to 60 days’ back wages and fringe benefits for affected workers.
