Whirlpool plans to lay off 341 employees at its manufacturing facility in Amana, Iowa, beginning March 9, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) posted by the state’s workforce development agency.
The impacted workers are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Local Lodge 1526, according to the company’s WARN letter dated Feb. 17.
The appliance manufacturer is expected to move production to its operations in Mexico, said Sam Cicinelli, IAM’s general vice president for the Midwest territory, during a press conference on Wednesday.
In an emailed statement, Whirlpool said the Amana plant remains “a vital part” of its manufacturing footprint. The company described the job cuts as part of a multi-year modernization plan designed to transform the site into a more dynamic operation that will continue producing best-in-class refrigerators while adding warehousing, parts production and sub-assembly work. Whirlpool said the transformation is necessary to support the plant’s long-term stability.
The upcoming layoffs add to the 250 jobs Whirlpool cut in July 2025, which Cicinelli said suggests an ongoing pattern rather than a one-time decision. Whirlpool initially notified Iowa Workforce Development in April 2025 that it planned to cut 651 workers, later amending the WARN letter to reflect 250 layoffs. Whirlpool said the update accounted for voluntary departures and retirements that occurred between the announcement and the effective date.
The union also says a second wave of layoffs could occur by the end of the second quarter, reducing the workforce to what it described as a “skeleton crew.” The facility once had roughly 3,000 IAM-represented workers; today it has about 1,300.
Whirlpool confirmed it has told employees to expect additional cuts in Q2 as it assesses “operational needs,” adding that it would share more information as soon as possible.
Union representatives described what they see as a steady scaling down of assembly operations. Kerry Waddell, an assisting business representative at IAM District 6 who worked at the Amana facility for 36 years, said Whirlpool has reduced major assembly lines from five to two and shifted production elsewhere. She added that Whirlpool plans to shutter a fourth assembly line and cut shifts on the remaining line from two to one by the end of Q2.
Whirlpool has emphasized resilience in a tariff-heavy environment. In its Q4 2025 securities filing, the company said approximately 80% of its major appliances sold in the U.S. are domestically manufactured, and roughly 96% of the steel used is domestically sourced. Still, tariffs cost the company $300 million in 2025, largely tied to components and some finished products, CEO Marc Robert Bitzer said during a Jan. 29 earnings call.
The story also highlights Whirlpool’s Mexico footprint. Juan Carlos Puente, Whirlpool’s executive president of North America and global strategic sourcing, said in 2025 that the company is repositioning toward a more regional supply chain in Mexico, noting that 80% of appliance components originated in North America, with 70% coming from Mexico (based on an English translation of his comments). He also referenced investments exceeding $250 million to expand Mexico-based capacity, including $150 million for the Ramos Arizpe plant project completed in August 2025. Whirlpool’s workforce in Mexico is estimated at about 11,500, moving toward 13,000.
