The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has condemned Whirlpool Corporation’s announcement of 341 layoffs at its Amana manufacturing facility, calling the move part of “a pattern of corporate abandonment.”
The layoffs, affecting IAM Local 1526 members, were announced Feb. 17 and are set to take effect March 9. Workers at the facility produce refrigerators under the Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag and Amana brands.
The union said the latest cuts follow the elimination of approximately 250 IAM positions at the same facility less than a year ago, and that management has warned additional reductions may be forthcoming.
“Our hearts go out to every member and family impacted by Whirlpool’s decision to cut nearly 400 more jobs at its Amana facility,” the union said in a statement Wednesday, Feb. 18. “This is not an isolated incident. It is a pattern of corporate abandonment. Each round of layoffs delivers another devastating blow to a community that has depended on good, union jobs to sustain thousands of Iowa families for generations.”
The IAM also pointed to Whirlpool’s expansion of manufacturing operations in Mexico, citing a completed refrigerator plant expansion in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, in 2024, a $65 million investment in its Celaya, Guanajuato facility, and the designation of Mexico as the sole producer of its French Door refrigerator line — a product the union said is exported almost entirely to American and Canadian consumers.
“Iowa County’s largest employer is destroying the very community it claims to support while continuing to build up its operations south of the border,” the union said.
The IAM called on local elected officials and members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation to oppose the layoffs, saying “silence in the face of this corporate betrayal is not an option.”
The union said it is working to protect the rights of affected members and connect displaced workers with available resources.
The IAM represents approximately 600,000 active and retired members across the aerospace, defense, airline, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, health care and automotive industries in the United States and Canada.
