Whirlpool to cut 341 jobs at Amana plant as operations shift

Whirlpool Corporation will lay off 341 union-represented employees at its Amana, Iowa refrigerator plant effective March 9, the company disclosed in a WARN notice filed with Iowa Workforce Development. The affected workers are members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local 1526.

Whirlpool characterized the move as part of "a continuation of a broader multi-year transformation that will help diversify the operations of the Amana plant and better position it for the future." The company said it plans to phase out older refrigeration lines, add warehousing, parts production and sub-assembly work, and invest in the facility over the coming years. Whirlpool also said the Amana operation will continue to produce refrigerators for Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag and Amana brands, including two-door bottom-mount and French door models.

The layoffs amount to roughly 20 to 23 percent of the plant workforce, depending on the plant head count. Public reports place total employment at the Amana plant in the range of 1,500 to 1,700 workers; at 1,500 employees the 341 cuts equal about 22.7 percent of the workforce. The plant, built in 1940, is one of the county's largest private employers.

Union leaders reacted sharply. IAM Local 1526 said, "Our hearts go out to every member and family impacted by Whirlpool’s decision to cut nearly 400 more jobs at its Amana facility. 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 union also accused the company of expanding operations in Mexico and said Whirlpool is "disregarding American jobs while it invests millions to its operations in Mexico" and is "destroying the very community it claims to support while continuing to build up its operations south of the border."

The union cited several recent investments in Mexico, including a 2024 expansion in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, and a $65 million investment in Celaya, Guanajuato, and said Whirlpool has designated Mexico as the sole producer of its French door refrigerator line that is largely exported back to U.S. and Canadian consumers. Whirlpool has not provided a detailed public rebuttal of those specific allegations beyond its statement about planned investment at Amana.

The job cut follows earlier workforce reductions at the plant. Last summer the facility laid off about 250 employees; the company had earlier announced 650 planned layoffs but later recalled roughly 400 workers. Whirlpool said the current layoffs are separate from last year’s actions.

Whirlpool advised that union employees retain recall rights for a period tied to tenure and seniority, generally between two and five years, but company spokespeople described the likelihood of recall as low. The company also signaled that additional reductions are possible in the spring or second quarter as part of the ongoing restructuring.

The announcement highlights tensions between corporate efforts to modernize manufacturing footprints and local communities that depend on long-standing production jobs. Whirlpool has in recent months pointed to other investments aimed at U.S. manufacturing growth, including a previously announced $300 million investment in Ohio laundry facilities expected to create up to 600 jobs, even as the Amana cuts underscore the uneven geography of industrial change.