Kinze Manufacturing is laying off 193 of their 815 employees

[ihhawk]

The Iowa farm landscape is going to change in a big way the next 10 years. I’ll use the Winfield area in SE Iowa. Around my place, there are several farmers that farm over 3000 acres that are in their 70s. They have hired men. Their sons all went to college and pursued different careers. They don’t help at all and many live in other states. Those farmers will either die or become unable to farm in the next 10 years. So what happens to that ground? It is impossible to just start farming if you aren’t already in it. Those acres will go to the farmers who did have kids that stayed on the farm. Those farmers will be around 10,000 acres.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

This just in...employees at Kinze first heard the news of the layoffs from a KCRG news story.

That's some real bullshit regarding Kinze Mgmt.

That’s usually what happens when someone starts a big business and eventually it gets passed on to the kids or grandkids. They don’t care about the people that work there. They have only cared about themselves and the objects they possess.

One of the kinze kids had to put a helipad up at kinze and purchase a spot out at the Cedar Rapids airport for their helicopter because that half hour drive from Williamsburg to the airport was too much.

 

[EasyHawk]

I could be wrong, but I believe they only have two work shifts in Williamsburg.

The actual layoffs might not be a surprise because employees know the activity, or lack thereof, in the recent past. They know what "busy" looks like.
But the scale of the layoff(nearly 25% of workforce) is probably a big shock.
And if true, the story is they found out on Wednesday and were gone by Thursday.
That's extremely short notice.
I'd bet law enforcement was present .

Deere required all office employees to work from home (and cancel all business travel) last week Mon-Wed and call in to a meeting at 7:30am Wed. Then Monday I believe it was, they were told that if they did not have an email and a short meeting invite by noon Wed, they were not being severed and had a role with the company, which they would find out the following week. Some people found out their new roles would be in Moline or Des Moines (for example those in the Olathe office) and some found they were downgrades, some had no change. Some found out 2 of their 6 direct reports were severed or being moved to another area. Extremely low morale.

 

[QChawks]

Deere required all office employees to work from home (and cancel all business travel) last week Mon-Wed and call in to a meeting at 7:30am Wed. Then Monday I believe it was, they were told that if they did not have an email and a short meeting invite by noon Wed, they were not being severed and had a role with the company, which they would find out the following week. Some people found out their new roles would be in Moline or Des Moines (for example those in the Olathe office) and some found they were downgrades, some had no change. Some found out 2 of their 6 direct reports were severed or being moved to another area. Extremely low morale.

That sucks. I’ve gone through something similar and hard to go through. If you are safe you still have to say goodbye to many co-workers.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

Deere required all office employees to work from home (and cancel all business travel) last week Mon-Wed and call in to a meeting at 7:30am Wed. Then Monday I believe it was, they were told that if they did not have an email and a short meeting invite by noon Wed, they were not being severed and had a role with the company, which they would find out the following week. Some people found out their new roles would be in Moline or Des Moines (for example those in the Olathe office) and some found they were downgrades, some had no change. Some found out 2 of their 6 direct reports were severed or being moved to another area. Extremely low morale.

It is a very sad situation but when you start working for Deere, shouldn’t this always be in the back of your mind? They hire and layoff large amounts of people all the time. If they are working and busy, the employees strike and want to get paid handsomely with great benefits.

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

The Iowa farm landscape is going to change in a big way the next 10 years. I’ll use the Winfield area in SE Iowa. Around my place, there are several farmers that farm over 3000 acres that are in their 70s. They have hired men. Their sons all went to college and pursued different careers. They don’t help at all and many live in other states. Those farmers will either die or become unable to farm in the next 10 years. So what happens to that ground? It is impossible to just start farming if you aren’t already in it. Those acres will go to the farmers who did have kids that stayed on the farm. Those farmers will be around 10,000 acres.

Or...the land is passed down to the non-farmer heirs and they employ others to operate the business (farm). Owner/operators are a declining breed.

Some just sell and take the money and run, some continue to own, but rent it out. But as you said, very few take the plunge and operate it themselves.

Tax policy will guide many of these decisions over the coming years, IMO.

 

[soybean]

Row cropping has always been a chicken or feathers business, and it always will be.

 

[Kelsers]

Deere required all office employees to work from home (and cancel all business travel) last week Mon-Wed and call in to a meeting at 7:30am Wed. Then Monday I believe it was, they were told that if they did not have an email and a short meeting invite by noon Wed, they were not being severed and had a role with the company, which they would find out the following week. Some people found out their new roles would be in Moline or Des Moines (for example those in the Olathe office) and some found they were downgrades, some had no change. Some found out 2 of their 6 direct reports were severed or being moved to another area. Extremely low morale.

I heard from a friend there has been several suicides recently with JD employees.

 

[EasyHawk]

I heard from a friend there has been several suicides recently with JD employees.

Yes, last I heard there were at least four. I don't work there personally, but someone in my family does and I work with people that have friends and relatives there also. One guy said he knows a couple who both work there and the guy got severed, the woman did not but her new role would require they move to Moline. She wasn't going to accept last I knew.

 

[EasyHawk]

It is a very sad situation but when you start working for Deere, shouldn’t this always be in the back of your mind? They hire and layoff large amounts of people all the time. If they are working and busy, the employees strike and want to get paid handsomely with great benefits.

Yes, there person I know well has been there over 25 years and he made it through. I was at Maytag so it has been in the back of my mind since that all went down. And the company I went to after Maytag had multiple rounds of RIFs and early retirement offers, etc too. I always made it, but I did once have the option of being severed or moving into a different, less appealing (to me) role. I can barely think of a scenario where I would have taken severance without having a job secured, so I made the move and then when the time was right, started looking for something else.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

Yes, last I heard there were at least four. I don't work there personally, but someone in my family does and I work with people that have friends and relatives there also. One guy said he knows a couple who both work there and the guy got severed, the woman did not but her new role would require they move to Moline. She wasn't going to accept last I knew.

Are people able to collect unemployment if they don’t accept to relocate? Hoping they don’t lose out on everything if they refuse to do so.
Our governor at least made it possible for people losing their jobs over not getting the Covid vaccine to be eligible for unemployment. I hope she would do the same in this situation.

 

[EasyHawk]

Are people able to collect unemployment if they don’t accept to relocate? Hoping they don’t lose out on everything if they refuse to do so.
Our governor at least made it possible for people losing their jobs over not getting the Covid vaccine to be eligible for unemployment. I hope she would do the same in this situation.

That is a good question, and I don't know for sure how that works. I would think that they would. To me they should get whatever severance they would have gotten too, but I assume they don't. There are a lot of good reasons or family issues that would make moving really tough, it would be better to get the severance package than offered a job in another state for those people.

 

[MitchLL]

Are people able to collect unemployment if they don’t accept to relocate? Hoping they don’t lose out on everything if they refuse to do so.
Our governor at least made it possible for people losing their jobs over not getting the Covid vaccine to be eligible for unemployment. I hope she would do the same in this situation.

Regarding the Kinze situation, I believe I heard that get severance until September 1st?
Then, I imagine it's unemployment benefits for whatever the designated period is.

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

Are people able to collect unemployment if they don’t accept to relocate? Hoping they don’t lose out on everything if they refuse to do so.
Our governor at least made it possible for people losing their jobs over not getting the Covid vaccine to be eligible for unemployment. I hope she would do the same in this situation.

I don't know the technically correct answer here ^^, but if the employer does not contest the UE then the employee will receive it. Here, I think it would be very poor form for any company to contest the UE. Just my opinion.

 

[GOHOX69]

The Iowa farm landscape is going to change in a big way the next 10 years. I’ll use the Winfield area in SE Iowa. Around my place, there are several farmers that farm over 3000 acres that are in their 70s. They have hired men. Their sons all went to college and pursued different careers. They don’t help at all and many live in other states. Those farmers will either die or become unable to farm in the next 10 years. So what happens to that ground? It is impossible to just start farming if you aren’t already in it. Those acres will go to the farmers who did have kids that stayed on the farm. Those farmers will be around 10,000 acres.

In Johnson County, farmer bob sells the land and it becomes another crap condo complex. That is the genesis of IC and Coralville, Tiffin, etc etc.

 

[GOHOX69]

I litigated against Kinze many moons ago. My client and I won. Let's just say they were staffed by many douche nozzles in upper management.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Someone does “win”…… but understand, someone does “lose” too. And the bankers are the enablers…

Still have hard on for bankers who allow entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. Pro tip: you can’t build a business without capital and a partner in the banking business. Not the banks fault if you go tits up, unfortunately…

That’s usually what happens when someone starts a big business and eventually it gets passed on to the kids or grandkids. They don’t care about the people that work there. They have only cared about themselves and the objects they possess.

One of the kinze kids had to put a helipad up at kinze and purchase a spot out at the Cedar Rapids airport for their helicopter because that half hour drive from Williamsburg to the airport was too much.

Not sure. You have mechanics at CR to do the routine work and fuel. The city shut down the helipad at the house I poured the foundation for on Prairie du Chien…

 

[joelbc1]

Still have hard on for bankers who allow entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. Pro tip: you can’t build a business without capital and a partner in the banking business. Not the banks fault if you go tits up, unfortunately…

Not sure. You have mechanics at CR to do the routine work and fuel. The city shut down the helipad at the house I poured the foundation for on Prairie du Chien…

Being a Democrat of the Jacksonian persuasion, I will always have a distrust for bankers and their industry.

 

[SalAunese]

I litigated against Kinze many moons ago. My client and I won. Let's just say they were staffed by many douche nozzles in upper management.

They’ve had plenty of litigation against them, including literally copying one of JD’s planters

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

I litigated against Kinze many moons ago. My client and I won. Let's just say they were staffed by many douche nozzles in upper management.

That wasn't when Kinze wanted the next door convenience store to pull all the girlie magazines off the shelves so the employees weren't dragging them into the break room? If they didn't comply he was going to build his own and run them out of business...

 

[GOHOX69]

That wasn't when Kinze wanted the next door convenience store to pull all the girlie magazines off the shelves so the employees weren't dragging them into the break room? If they didn't comply he was going to build his own and run them out of business...

Nice. I didn't know that. This was circa 2004.

 

[GOHOX69]

They’ve had plenty of litigation against them, including literally copying one of JD’s planters

This I did know 😀

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Unlike Deere, Kinze has all ag related products, while Deere makes dozers, scrappers, excavators, articulated dump trucks, skid loaders, forestry equipment, mining equipment, marine engines and a whole lot more. JD will be OK...