One family has been hit particularly hard by the recent layoffs at John Deere.
Mathew Shiltz and his wife both lost their jobs at a factory in Davenport, Iowa, in July.
Now they worry about how they will pay their household bills and whether they will be able to afford rent and car payments when their severance pay runs out.
The agriculture giant has laid off about 1,830 workers at several locations in Iowa and Illinois so far this year, while shifting more of its tractor and farm equipment production to Mexico.
The 187-year-old company blames global cutbacks for a 20 percent drop in revenue.
Mathew Shiltz and his wife both lost their jobs at a factory in Davenport, Iowa, in July
Shiltz told the local station KWQC that he was “proud” when he got a job at John Deere, but now feels betrayed by the company.
Although he said he already knew layoffs would take place, he still found it “difficult” to process the news.
“Orders were definitely down. The numbers in the factory — we weren’t pumping what we were doing. They’re cutting the lines drastically,” he told the outlet.
He added that the community in the Quad Cities — Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in Illinois — will feel the impact of the layoffs acutely.
“This community is very Deere-based with four factories in the area. So when they take this kind of hit, it doesn’t just impact Deere, it impacts a lot of people.”
Shiltz says he’s already taking on some jobs, but he’s afraid of the future.
“It’s going to be really tough. Now we’re just trying to figure out how we’re going to pay the bills,” he said.
At the beginning of this year, John Deere employed approximately 22,600 payroll and production employees in the two states.
Costs for farmers remain high, while crop prices are low.
In many cases, production that was managed by American workers has been moved to new locations in Mexico.
Last month, DailyMail.com asked John Deere how many new jobs have been created in Mexico in recent years – as the U.S. workforce has shrunk. It did not answer.
A statement said the layoffs are intended to “strongly position John Deere for the future.”
John Deere produces everything from tractors, construction vehicles and mowers to snowmobiles
Shiltz told local Iowa station KWQC that he was “proud” when he got a job at John Deere, but now he feels betrayed by the company
Other employees expressed frustration and anger over the cuts.
According to a longtime employee at the Harvester Works plant in East Moline, Illinois, it all comes down to one thing: greed.
“It seems like we are hearing about more layoffs every day and that is creating uncertainty,” said the employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
“Deere is only doing this out of greed.”
Employees who are laid off will receive up to 12 months of severance pay (based on years of service), payment for unused time off, and access to health insurance.
“While the decision to reduce positions within the company was a difficult one, the company is confident that these adjustments, combined with our ongoing efforts to reduce costs and align production and inventory levels, will position John Deere for the future in a strong position,” the company said in a statement.
John Deere said it remains committed to U.S. manufacturing, with bosses pointing to a $2 billion investment in U.S. factories since 2019.