MOLINE, Ill. — John Deere appears to be moving forward in laying off salaried members of its workforce, according to multiple reports on the social platform Reddit. The online posts come after Deere previously confirmed to News 8 in late June that "salaried layoffs in the U.S. are expected to occur by the end of July." News 8 has reached out to Deere for confirmation on the recent reports.
Numerous posts reference an email allegedly sent by John Deere executives outlining how the layoffs will take place, including one post with screenshots that has since been deleted. That alleged email states that on Wednesday, July 24, Deere will begin "additional global salaried workforce reductions." All salaried employees who do not have to be onsite are being asked to work from home July 24-26 so those being let go can "hear and digest the news in private."
The alleged email also says that after a meeting on July 24, employees being laid off will receive more information on their severance offers and separation details.
In the last three months, John Deere has laid off more than 1,000 employees across the company. It most recently includes around 345 production employees at its Waterloo facilities. Deere attributes the layoffs to a need to balance its workforce amid reduced product demand and "rising global operational and manufacturing costs."
A Deere spokesperson has previously said that "employees are eligible to be recalled to their home factory for a period equal to their length of service" and that laid-off employees receive automatic seniority for openings they are qualified for.
Laid-off employees also receive supplemental unemployment pay for up to 26 weeks, depending on how long they've worked with the company. Deere says this covers about 95% of their weekly pay when combined with state unemployment benefits. Additional health care and transitional assistance are available for laid-off employees based on how long they worked for the company.
News 8 will update this news story as more information is made available. Download our app and subscribe to our YouTube channel for updates.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel