Winnebago Industries last week laid off 79 employees in Forest City, Iowa, due to the COVID-19 crisis impacting the demand for the company’s products.
This story by Grace Zaplatynsky originally appeared in the Forest City Summit-Tribune.
Winnebago Industries Public Relations Specialist Sam Jefson said the company had to take “financial management steps we believe are required to ensure the strength of our business long-term” in response to the shift in demand.
The company has evaluated staffing levels and determined that certain layoffs had to be implemented, affecting 79 salaried and non-exempt employees, according to Jefson.
On March 1, the company’s employee population in North Iowa was about 2,000 people.
Jefson would not say if the employees who were laid off will receive benefits and which areas were most impacted.
The company will resume production in select areas in three installments. Chris-Craft and Specialty Vehicles production resumed April 13; Newmar, Grand Design RV and Winnebago Motorhomes are set to resume May 4; and Winnebago Towables set to resume May 18.
The majority of production in Forest City, Lake Mills, Waverly and Charles City will resume on May 4, aligning with Winnebago Motorhomes, according to Jefson.