Editor’s note: Christina Bohannan is a Democrat running for congress in IA-01. I appreciate someone trying to do something about these heartless layoffs, the latest example of corporate greed.  Our current representative, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks should also be trying to get Whirlpool to change course but sadly she works for Trump, not us.  Below is a press release put out by Bohannan on Tuesday.

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Bohannan Open Letter to Whirlpool Management

Iowa City, IA – Yesterday, Christina Bohannan sent the following letter to management at the Whirlpool plant in Amana regarding their plan for layoffs.

An Open Letter to Whirlpool management and to Iowa’s elected representatives:

I am respectfully asking for Whirlpool to cancel its intended layoffs of Iowa workers at its manufacturing facility in Amana, and to reverse course on its recent offshoring of American jobs to Mexico. I urge all Iowa elected representatives, including US House Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, to join me in calling on Whirlpool to do the same.

Whirlpool has just announced plans to cut nearly 400 jobs at its Amana facility, effective almost immediately. It says it expects to cut even more job cuts in the next couple of months — and all of this year’s cuts come on top of approximately 250 jobs that it cut at the same facility less than a year ago. The Whirlpool management has given virtually no explanation for the latest layoffs and is giving no severance to most of the workers, although many have worked there for years. These workers have built the high-quality refrigerators that supply American households and have fulfilled their end of the bargain. I call on management to come to the table and discuss with the IAM Machinists’ Union Local 1526, which represents 1,300 production workers at the Amana plant, what can be done to preserve these jobs and/or assist the affected workers.

Just a few years ago, more than 3,000 highly-skilled Iowa machinists worked at the Amana facility. But despite marketing itself as “the only U.S.-based manufacturer of major kitchen and laundry appliances,” Whirlpool (like many other manufacturing companies) has moved nearly half of these jobs to Mexico and to non-union shops. Over the last 20 years, Whirlpool has invested more than $1 billion in Mexico, tripling its workforce there while laying off thousands of American workers. Its Mexican assets have grown at twice the rate of its American assets.

This offshoring is a slap in the face not only to Iowa workers, but also to Iowa taxpayers: Whirlpool has received $21.5 million in tax credits, grants, and infrastructure assistance from the State of Iowa since 2006 to encourage investment in Iowa’s economy and communities. I urge Whirlpool not to be just another corporation that takes the money and runs to other countries — but instead to be a true American company that invests in high-quality manufacturing right here in the Iowa heartland. Iowa’s workers are second to none, and they stand ready to work with Whirlpool to make the company more successful than ever.

And to Iowa’s federal elected representatives: being a member of Congress isn’t about playing political games in Washington DC or getting the most corporate donations or even getting reelected — it is about standing up for Iowans here at home. Every member of Iowa’s congressional delegation must push for relief for the local workers at Whirlpool. Specifically, I call upon southeast Iowa’s Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks to respond to the IAM Machinists who have pleaded for her assistance, and I urge her — for once in her career — to put Iowa first.

Sincerely,

Christina Bohannan

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Iowa’s 1st Congressional District contains the cities of Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington, and Indianola. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks faces a rematch against Christina Bohannan, who came within 0.2% of defeating the incumbent in 2024. Bohannan lost by just 799 votes out of 413,000 and outperformed the top of the ticket by over 8 points – more than any other Red-to-Blue candidate in the country. National forecasters, including the Cook Political Report, universally rate this district as a Toss-Up for 2026. With Rep. Miller-Meeks showing historic weakness at just 31% favorability and facing growing opposition even within her own party, Bohannan has the best opportunity to flip a Republican seat in the country.