John Deere says it’s laying off 145 at eastern Iowa plants

WATERLOO, Iowa — John Deere has announced more layoffs at two eastern Iowa plants.

Company spokesman Ken Golden said Monday that 115 workers in Waterloo will be laid off effective Sept. 23 and 30 in Davenport effective Sept. 30.

UAW Local 838 shop chairman Tim Niedert told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that the layoffs came as no surprise. On Friday the Moline, Illinois-based company announced its 10th consecutive quarter of year-over-year earnings declines, citing continuing downturns in the agriculture sector.

Golden says about 870 people are working at the Davenport plant and about 2,930 at the Waterloo plant. Those figures don’t reflect the layoffs. He says the Waterloo plant makes larger farm tractors. The Davenport plant makes construction and forestry equipment.

UAW Local 838 President Tom Ralston says 663 Waterloo workers are still on indefinite layoff from Deere after a pair of major workforce reductions announced in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015.