WATERLOO, Iowa — John Deere has announced over 300 more layoffs at its facilities in Waterloo, Iowa, a company spokesperson said. Around 345 production employees will be laid off effective Sept. 20.
In the last three months, John Deere has laid off more than 1,000 employees across the company. It most recently includes around 600 production employees across three factories that will be laid off effective Aug. 30. Since March, close to 550 layoffs have been announced at John Deere Waterloo Works alone.
Deere attributes the layoffs to a need to balance its workforce amid reduced product demand and "rising global operational and manufacturing costs," the spokesperson said.
Another seven layoffs in Coffeyville, Kansas were announced alongside those in Waterloo. Those go into effect Aug. 9.
In an email, Deere said the changes are due to reduced demand for the products made at the Waterloo and Coffeyville facilities.
Around 5,000 total employees work at John Deere Waterloo Operations, with about 3,000 of them working production or maintenance jobs. Over 30,000 people are employed by John Deere across its 40 facilities in the U.S.
Deere said "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.
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