Iowa Worker’s Almanac news briefs, Oct. 8, 2026
- Steel plant to get $1.4 billion from Iowa: Legislators, split along party lines, voted to give tax credits and other incentives to build a steel plant in Lee County to Mesabi. “Without real protections for taxpayers or guarantees that Iowans will fill these jobs, I have serious concerns that Iowa taxpayers will be left holding the bag while a foreign company walks away with over a billion dollars of our money,” said state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott. “I voted no today to protect taxpayers, and I will continue to support the creation of good paying jobs for Iowans and ensure our tax dollars don’t go to waste.”
- Iowa and other so-called “right to work” states all have one thing in common: Workers in our states are paid 6.7% less on average as compared to states with union-friendly policies.
- Three recent decisions by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission make things much less equitable for trans workers. The National Women’s Law Center said the decisions are policy, not court decisions or new laws. “Employers should not see the EEOC’s actions as a free pass to push their trans and nonbinary workers into the shadows,” said Lauren Khouri, senior director of workplace equality.
Upcoming layoffs:
All information taken from Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Act website. Read WARN Act and Iowa WARN Act criteria here.
- Lund Food Holdings in Lake Mills is closing and laying off 23 workers by Oct. 9. Read more here.
- Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off:
14 workers by Oct. 17
5 workers by Oct. 31
35 workers by Nov. 14
10 workers by Nov. 28
Read more here. - RTX in Cedar Rapids is laying off 1 worker by Oct. 30.
- Carry On Trailer in Missouri Valley is closing and laying off 79 workers by Nov. 29. Read more here.
