651 laid off at Whirlpool in Amana

On Tuesday, news broke that 651 Iowans are soon to be laid off by June 1 from Whirlpool in Amana. That’s about a third of its workforce.

It’s the biggest mass layoff of the year in Iowa (so far), and the largest since Tyson closed its Perry plant and laid off 1,276 about a year ago.

In its announcement, Whirlpool blamed “consumer demand” for the layoffs. Its CEO said in January that the company would be cutting $200 million, but anticipated “the eventual U.S. housing recovery” would turn things around.

(Is that housing recovery coming? A whole generation wants to know.)

Workers are unionized with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), which released a statement saying it would “work to mitigate the impacts” of the mass layoff.

“Our hearts go out to every member and family affected by Whirlpool management’s announcement that they will lay off approximately 650 workers at its Amana facility,” IAM said in the release. “This is a community that relies heavily on good IAM Union jobs that help sustain thousands of families in the Amana area.”

Iowa Federation of Labor President Charlie Wishman said it didn’t have to be that way.

“This is outrageous for a company that made $17 billion in sales last year,” said Wishman. “Again, the working class is suffering at the hands of billionaires who don’t seem to care, let alone understand the struggles of the American people.”

He and others argued the policies of Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans weren’t helping matters.

“Before session ends, the Iowa Legislature should restore the 10 weeks of unemployment benefits for the workers at Whirlpool they cut and do all we can to make sure these workers can find good-paying jobs,” said Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, minority party leader of the House.

Iowa’s businesses shed more than 1,000 jobs in February alone.

“Alarm bells should be sounding in our communities,” said Sen. Janice Weiner of Iowa City, minority party leader of the Senate. “The Bureau of Economic Analysis showed in a release last week that Iowa is one of just two states where real GDP has contracted. Our agriculture economy is worsening, on-again-off-again tariffs are exacerbating existing issues, and Iowans hardly go a week without seeing another round of layoffs.”

Who’s really to blame? Email me your thoughts.

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