Hiawatha workers trying to form a union: Iowa worker news for Nov. 5, 2026

Days before Deere announced two plant closures, the company said it would be hiring back 275 of the roughly 1,000 workers it had laid off in the past two years from Waterloo, Dubuque, the Quad Cities, and Ottumwa. (What whiplash for Ottumwa workers this week.)

Amie Rivers

November 5, 2026

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News for the Iowa worker, Nov. 5, 2026:

Days before Deere announced the two plant closures, the company said it would be hiring back 275 of the roughly 1,000 workers it had laid off in the past two years from Waterloo, Dubuque, the Quad Cities, and Ottumwa. (What whiplash for Ottumwa workers this week.)
Generative AI is taking Gen Z jobs, and might make a whole generation obsolete. (No way that’ll backfire!)
We can legislate AI, and the AFL-CIO has drafted a proposal on what that could look like.
Forty-three percent of American households have difficulty paying their bills, but that jumps to 63% for Black Americans.
State workers in California went on a one-day unfair labor practice strike; read about why.
14 shop workers at Newell Machinery in Hiawatha filed a petition Oct. 30 for the right to unionize with Millwright Local Union 2158.

Upcoming layoffs:

All information taken from Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Act website. Read WARN Act and Iowa WARN Act criteria here.

Winnebago Industries in Forest City is laying off:
51 workers by Monday
27 workers by Nov. 30
Cambridge Investment Research in Fairfield is laying off 33 workers by Wednesday. Read more here.
Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off:
35 workers by Nov. 14
10 workers by Nov. 28
2 workers by Dec. 12
86 workers by Dec. 26
Read more here.
Carry On Trailer in Missouri Valley is closing and laying off 79 workers by Nov. 29. Read more here.
Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids is laying off 31 workers by Nov. 30. Read more here.

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