Iowa Worker’s Almanac news briefs for June 3, 2026:
- China won’t say if trade deal is real: Trump claims that China committed to buying upwards of $17 billion in US agricultural products each year for the next three years. But his claim was not confirmed by the Chinese embassy.
- Now that he’s the official Democratic nominee for governor, I’msaving this March news article where Rob Sand said he would, if elected, claw back state subsidies paid to companies that cut jobs and leave, like Whirlpool in Amana.
- Matter of fact, now that the primary’s over, I might start collecting candidates’ worker-first policies so we can hold them accountable!
- Zach Wahls had the union endorsements, but it wasn’t enough to carry him past Josh Turek, who will now face US Rep. Ashley Hinson for the open US Senate seat in Iowa being vacated by Joni Ernst. Here’s who else won in Iowa.
- Starting up a union: One hundred and ninety seven full-time, part-time, and PRN nurses with UnityPoint – St. Luke’s in Sioux City filed a petition May 27 to hold an election on whether to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers. // Fourteen full-time, part-time, and on-call bus and paratransit drivers at Siouxland Regional Transit System filed a petition May 18 to hold an election on whether to unionize with AFSCME Council 61.
- Voting on a union: Eighteen full- and part-time maintenance workers at Fair Oaks Foods in Davenport will vote June 17 on whether to unionize with UFCW Local 431.
Upcoming layoffs:
All information taken from Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Act website. Read WARN Act and Iowa WARN Act criteria here.
- CNH Industrial in Burlington is closing and laying off:
15 workers by June 26,
13 workers by Sept. 25, and
five workers by Dec. 31.
Read more here. - Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off:
25 workers by June 13,
10 workers by June 27,
29 workers by July 11, and
one worker by July 25.
Read more here. - First Student in Waterloo is closing and laying off 120 workers by June 30. Read more here.
