Maytag: Lonesome No More

The Maytag plant in Newton, IA will be closing in 2007 and it is a shame. There aren't a lot of homegrown Iowa products and companies out there any more and Maytag appliances were a national icon that meant quality. Like everything else in this world, the company was for sale and Whirpool bought it. They will gut the company in order to own the brand, but a part of Iowa history is ending.

Even worse is 1,800 good paying jobs are being lost. This will have a drastic effect on the Newton economy but the state of Iowa will suffer as well. State resources are being funneled into the area to help workers file claims for unemployment and other benefits as well as in finding other jobs. Some of these workers will no doubt be moving out the state to find work, while others will be stuck flipping burgers if they're lucky.

The really sad thing is that for years, Newton and Maytag apparently did all they could to keep Newton a Maytag town. Companies like Vermeer that offered the workforce some choice were shut out. Now workers have no options but to scramble for lower wage jobs or move away from their hometown. It's sad and inevitable in the current market where workers are just another part of the bottom line equation and not part of the reason for a company to be in business in the first place.

At least they still have Maytag Blue Cheese.