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Deere workers grapple with fallout from Trump's trade war
Source: Reuters
BUSINESS NEWS NOVEMBER 15, 2019 / 1:13 AM / UPDATED 33 MINUTES AGO
Deere workers grapple with fallout from Trump's trade war
Rajesh Kumar Singh
6 MIN READ
EAST MOLINE, Illinois (Reuters) - Devin Spencer has been on edge ever since Deere & Co. laid off dozens of his colleagues at its Harvester Works plant in western Illinois due to dwindling demand for farm combines.
He considers himself lucky to have escaped the indefinite layoffs, but has been relegated to a lower-level job with a pay cut. The 29-year-old welder blames America’s trade war with China, which has dented U.S. agricultural exports and, in turn, slowed sales of equipment, for his situation.
Spencer, who is married with a young son, fears the worst if sales continue to sag and Deere cuts more workers. He is not alone. Hundreds of workers at Harvester Works are facing an uncertain future as a result of the 16-month-old tariff war.
“Orders have sunk so low that I am lucky to have a job,” he said. “What happens if we don’t get orders? I am out of the door.”
Deere, the world’s largest tractor maker, said last month it had indefinitely laid off 50 employees at Harvester Works, part of 163 layoffs across Iowa and Illinois, adding that each factory balanced the size of its workforce with demand for its products.
-snip-
Deere workers grapple with fallout from Trump's trade war
Rajesh Kumar Singh
6 MIN READ
EAST MOLINE, Illinois (Reuters) - Devin Spencer has been on edge ever since Deere & Co. laid off dozens of his colleagues at its Harvester Works plant in western Illinois due to dwindling demand for farm combines.
He considers himself lucky to have escaped the indefinite layoffs, but has been relegated to a lower-level job with a pay cut. The 29-year-old welder blames America’s trade war with China, which has dented U.S. agricultural exports and, in turn, slowed sales of equipment, for his situation.
Spencer, who is married with a young son, fears the worst if sales continue to sag and Deere cuts more workers. He is not alone. Hundreds of workers at Harvester Works are facing an uncertain future as a result of the 16-month-old tariff war.
“Orders have sunk so low that I am lucky to have a job,” he said. “What happens if we don’t get orders? I am out of the door.”
Deere, the world’s largest tractor maker, said last month it had indefinitely laid off 50 employees at Harvester Works, part of 163 layoffs across Iowa and Illinois, adding that each factory balanced the size of its workforce with demand for its products.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-deere-layoffs-focus/deere-workers-grapple-with-fallout-from-trumps-trade-war-idUSKBN1XP0I6