Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) and the United Auto Workers union react to the news of layoffs at John Deere in Illinois and Iowa.
“The decision to lay off employees from John Deere is a punch in the gut to my friends and neighbors here in the Quad Cities,” said Sorensen. “My heart goes out to everyone impacted by these layoffs, from UAW members to those salaried at company headquarters. Deere & Co. has a history nearly as old as this state and it brings so much pride to us here in Illinois. I stand in solidarity with those let go and others who question their future. I remain committed to doing everything I can to create opportunities, make it easier for businesses to thrive here, and to ensure that the Quad Cities remains a warm and welcoming place to settle down, raise a family, and succeed.”
United Auto Workers (UAW) released the following statement regarding the layoffs at John Deere: “John Deere’s reckless layoffs and job cuts are an insult to the working class people of Iowa and Illinois, and the United Auto Workers will fight for justice for our members and communities affected by these moves.
Let’s be clear: there is no need for Deere to kill good American jobs and outsource them to Mexico for cheap labor. The company is forecasted to make $7 billion in profit this year. CEO John May’s total compensation for 2023 was $26.8 million. The company has spent $43.6 billion on stock buybacks and dividends over the past two decades. There is no question that there is enough profit to go around, and Deere can afford to keep good jobs in Iowa and Illinois.
So why are they choosing not to? Because Deere’s corporate greed means more to them than the lives of working class people in Ankeny, Waterloo, Ottumwa, or Dubuque. And our government lets them get away with it, with broken trade laws that don’t protect workers on either side of the border.
The UAW is hard at work trying to minimize the impacts of these cuts and layoffs for our members at Deere and pushing the company to do right by our members, their families, and their communities. But when a company is doing as well as Deere, on the hard work of those UAW members who make the product that generates those profits, there is absolutely no reason for job cuts, layoffs, outsourcing, or cutbacks. We will keep pushing for justice at Deere and keep letting corporate America know that the working class will not accept the scraps while the CEOs and shareholders get richer and richer.”