WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — John Deere has announced more layoffs at two eastern Iowa plants.
The company said Monday that 115 workers in Waterloo and 30 in Davenport would be placed on indefinite layoff by the end of September.
UAW Local 838 shop chairman Tim Niedert told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that the layoffs came as no surprise. On Friday the Moline, Illinois-based company announced its 10th consecutive quarter of year-over-year earnings declines, citing continuing downturns in the agriculture sector.
UAW Local 838 President Tom Ralston says 663 Waterloo workers are still on indefinite layoff from Deere following a pair of major workforce reductions announced in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015.
In a release, Ken Golden, Deere's director of global public relations, stated the layoffs are determined by seniority. Deere continues to adjust the size of the company’s production workforce to meet market demand for products manufactured at each of its factories and today’s actions are consistent with projections that were communicated when Deere announced its third quarter results on Friday, he added.