More John Deere Layoffs Hit Iowa Workforce

John Deere employees in the state of Iowa are starting off the new year with news of more layoffs within the company.

In the last twelve months, more than a thousand John Deere workers have lost their jobs, according to a report from last year. The Waterloo plant saw the greatest number of job losses saw the greatest number of layoffs for the company in the state.

As of early January, 1,010 Waterloo John Deere employees were cut from the company over the course of the past year.

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Now, the Ottumwa plant is set to see job cuts as well.

On the same say that the most recent round of layoffs in Waterloo went into effect, news broke of employees at the John Deere Ottumwa Works meeting a similar fate.

The Iowa WARN website updated their report to reflect that the plant would be laying off seventy-five workers in the upcoming months.

What Is the "Reason" For the Layoffs?

According to reports, the reason for the layoffs in Waterloo last year was due to "challenging market conditions" and the "poor farm economy."

"Each John Deere factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs of the individual factory to optimize the workforce at each facility," officials said in a statement last year.

Earlier this week, officials from John Deere released a statement regarding this specific round of layoffs in Ottumwa.

“To remain globally competitive, we must continue making workforce adjustments as needed to our manufacturing footprint."

Will Employees Receive A Severance Package of Some Kind?

Company officials confirmed that while 75 employees will be out of the job, they will not lose their health insurance right away.

The Ottumwa employees who will be laid off will be able to keep their health insurance for six months and receive "95-percent of their weekly net pay for up to 26 weeks," as well as other benefits, according to reports.

These layoffs are anticipated to go into effect on February 7th, 2025.

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