Maytag Corp. will lay off more employees in Newton next week.
Maytag cut more than 300 manufacturing positions last year at its Newton plant. It is unclear how many employees will be affected.
At the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, pharmacist Larry Ambroson said that the future of Maytag is a source of concern for his customers. Maytag recently changed its prescription policy, and now employees and retirees must order their medicine by mail.
“Now they have to worry about mailing in stuff ahead two or three weeks in advance,” Ambroson said. “They don’t have anybody to talk to if they have questions with prescriptions.”
He said everyone is disappointed with the layoffs.
The employee layoffs and concerns have also decreased business in Newton.
Barb Barr, of Re/Max Realty, estimated that less than 10 percent of business in the past three years came from Maytag employees. Previously, about half of their business was with Maytag employees, she said.
Maytag will lay off more employees in Newton this month. If consumer demand for products does not increase, there could be more layoffs later in the year.
From The Iowa Channel