John Deere announced another round of layoffs, impacting workers at three of its manufacturing facilities in Iowa and Illinois on Monday, Aug. 18, reports the Des Moines Register.
According to the report, Deere said 71 workers at its foundry in Waterloo, Iowa, will be laid off effective Sept. 19. In addition, 115 workers will be let go from the harvester works in East Moline, Ill., effective Aug. 29, and 52 from the seeding and clyinder works in Moline, Ill., effective Sept. 26.
“As stated on our most recent earnings call, the struggling ag economy continues to impact orders for John Deere equipment. This is a challenging time for many farmers, growers and producers, and directly impacts our business in the near term,” the company said in its statement.
That company statement also reaffirmed Deere's commitment to U.S. manufacturing and reiterated its commitment to investing $20 billion in the U.S. over the next 10 years.
It also said employees affected by the layoffs, for a period equal to their length of service, will be eligible for recall to their home factories. Those laid off are automatically placed in seniority order for openings they are qualified to perform.
Source : Farm Equipment