Deere laying off more Waterloo employees

Deere & Co. has announced layoffs in Waterloo, its fifth round of cuts at Iowa offices and plants since November.

Company spokeswoman Jennifer Hartmann said Friday that Deere bosses told 42 workers in Waterloo they would be laid off on May 4 as part of an effort to "become a leaner, more efficient organization."

Previously, the company laid off:

113 workers in Davenport on Nov. 18

23 workers in Des Moines on Dec. 15

57 more workers in Davenport on Jan. 6.

Deere has also laid off workers in Kansas and Illinois and offered a voluntary separation program late last year. In addition, the company announced earlier this month that 105 workers in Dubuque will be laid off, effective April 6.

During an earnings call last Friday, the Quad Cities-based company said it was seeing signs of a recovery for the agriculture economy. Still, Deere projects equipment sales will be down compared to last year.

Workers in Waterloo build Deere's 7 series, 8 series and 9 series tractor cabs.

Tyler Jett covers jobs and the economy for the Register. Contact him at 515-284-8215 and tjett@registermedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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