Working-class news you can use for Feb. 6, 2026:
- Continuing problems at Johnson Co. mobile home parks: Residents told Iowa Starting Line’s Zachary Oren Smith about long-term issues with unclean water and soil erosion that have become so serious they’re beginning to impact important supports for their homes.
- Losing your health care? Health policy changes in Washington will ripple through the country, resulting in millions of Americans losing their Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage. But there are still ways to find care if you’re uninsured.
- Is the economy great? President Donald Trump visited Iowa last week, touting his economic record and asking voters to believe he stands with working people, small businesses, and farmers. But right now, that’s not true, say Iowa Farmers Union president Aaron Lehman and RAYGUN owner Mike Draper. Relatedly—and reminiscent of the 1980s farm crisis—farmers are now 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.
- Manufacturing slows: A new labor report shows job losses in manufacturing, information, and professional and business services, leading to just 22,000 jobs being added in January.
- We’re growing too much corn, with not enough markets for it, according to a recent Corn Impact Study by the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
- Cuts at MercyOne: The hospital chain already announced they were closing their Ottumwa clinic and laying off 40 workers by Feb. 27; now, they announced they’ll also cut 67 workers from the Des Moines Medical Center and 34 from the North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City by Mar. 17.
- Young Workers March in DC this weekend: Labor unions and worker advocacy organizations across the US are rallying at the US Capitol Saturday “to demand an America that works for workers and to ensure young workers have the same opportunities their parents had.”
- Farmers haven’t made a profit in a decade: The USDA says farmers’ costs for things like fertilizer, fuel, seed, feed, machinery, and labor have exceeded the prices they receive every month since 2015–and it’s getting worse.
- USDA staffing down 21%: If you’re experiencing delays from the USDA, here’s why.
- Rural homelessness is growing faster than homelessness in cities.
- Voting on a union: Twenty-three full- and part-time registered nurses and licensed practical nurses at Davenport Lutheran Home filed a petition for an election on whether to be represented by United Food & Commercial Workers Local 431 on Jan. 28. // Fifty full- and part-time workers at River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa will vote Feb. 19 on whether to be represented by Teamsters Local 90.
Upcoming layoffs:
All information taken from Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Act website. Read WARN Act and Iowa WARN Act criteria here.
- Medtec/CQ Medical in Orange City is closing and laying off 33 workers by Friday.
- Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off 25 workers by Friday, 33 workers by Mar. 20, and 49 workers by Apr. 4. Read more here.
- Winnebago Industries in Charles City is closing and laying off its remaining 23 workers by Feb. 20.
- MercyOne is closing and laying off 40 workers in Ottumwa by Feb. 27, laying off 67 workers at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center by Mar. 17, and laying off 34 workers at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City by Mar. 17. Read more here.
