John Deere recalling 275, hiring 400-plus; all laid-off Dubuque workers invited back

John Deere said Friday it is recalling 275 employees and hiring more than 400 people across its factories, a move the company says means every worker previously laid off in Dubuque has been invited back to work. The announcement covers Waterloo, the Quad Cities, Ottumwa and Dubuque, and brings total company callbacks since 2024 to roughly 1,000. About 125 employees in the Des Moines area remain on layoff, the company said. Dubuque Works, which builds construction and forestry equipment, is among the hiring sites, though Deere did not break out how many of the 275 recalls or the 400-plus new hires are assigned to Dubuque specifically. The October 30 announcement follows smaller Dubuque recalls earlier this year: 24 in January, 27 in February and 21 in April, plus a 375-worker recall across Quad Cities operations in September. Deere has shed more than 2,000 Iowa jobs since March 2024, including 133 at Dubuque in July and August 2024, according to Iowa's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification log. The company said the callbacks reflect strengthening customer demand and higher production needs, and come as it builds its workforce ahead of labor negotiations next year: the United Auto Workers rejected a proposed contract extension earlier this year, and the current six-year contract runs through October 2027.