Home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation announced earlier this month that it plans to lay off 341 workers at its facility in Amana, Iowa. The reductions will take effect March 9, according to the Iowa WARN log.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) criticized the move, saying that it would impact members of Union Local 1526, who make refrigerators under the Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag and Amana brands at the factory. The development comes nearly one year after Whirlpool cut 250 jobs at the Amana site.
The IAM Union accused the Michigan-based company of “trading American jobs for cheaper labor across the border.”
“Whirlpool has been expanding its manufacturing footprint in Mexico, recently completing a major refrigerator plant expansion in Coahuila, investing $65 million into its Guanajuato facility and designating Mexico as the sole producer of its French Door refrigerator line,” the union stated in a press release.
The Des Moines Register reported that Whirlpool expects to keep producing two-door bottom-mount and French Door refrigerators in Amana and plans to invest in the facility in the coming years. The company also indicated additional layoffs could take place in the second quarter of this year.
According to the Register, Whirlpool anticipates the Amana layoffs will support modernization efforts at the plant, with the goal of eventually creating more jobs. The location previously employed around 3,000 workers and now has roughly 1,500.
In October 2025, Whirlpool stated that it would invest $300 million in U.S. laundry manufacturing and create up to 600 jobs at its operations in Marion and Clyde, Ohio.
