DES MOINES, Iowa — Many Bridgestone employees who were let go are now filing for unemployment as they search for new jobs.
Last month, 216 people learned they would be terminated, and last Friday, worked their last shift. Bridgestone cited "demand constraints in the agricultural tire sector,” as the reason for these layoffs.
On Monday, Iowa Works stepped in to offer some reprieve to the former workers.
“Some lady that lost her house in the Greenfield tornado, she got permanently laid off,” former employee Amy Gregory said. Iowa Works brought the Mobile Workforce Center to the USW Local 310 parking lot where people could learn how to file for unemployment.
“About half of the people affected by the layoffs are permanent layoffs,” Joseph Nobile with Iowa Works said. “Those individuals we are going to be working with us on the next steps, so career exploration, mock interviews, resume assistance.”
Peter Orazem, Iowa State University professor emeritus, explained that Bridgestone largely supplies tires to the agriculture sector. When John Deere laid off many workers, it had a ripple effect.
“If John Deere is having trouble with production then all the people who supply inputs into the various products that John Deere faces are going to be affected,” Orazem said. For former Bridgestone workers, the last month has been filled with so much uncertainty.
“It’s tough but we manage and she’s in a lot of sports and stuff, but we just keep moving forward,” Gregory, a single mother said about her daughter.
Unemployment checks can last up to 16 weeks and the amount awarded depends on how much they’ve earned and how many dependents they have.
“Our goal is to really make them feel empowered and knowledgeable when they go to apply for their weekly claim next week,” Nobile said.
Iowa Works will host a career fair for those affected by the layoffs and anyone else looking for a job from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. next Tuesday at the Park Fair Mall.