Wever, Iowa — Recent layoffs at OCI NV’s Iowa Fertilizer Co. project continue to be in the news, with unions and politicians honing in on the fact that contractors are seeking to pull in out-of-state workers while native Iowa union workers were laid off. Local union officials told the Des Moines Register that more than 3,000 workers were onsite in mid-April when Iowa Fertilizer changed contractors (GM April 27, p. 12) and that about 1,500 workers were laid off, with only about 300 of those rehired. They cited reports that contractors are now looking to hire workers in Texas, instead of rehiring the many that were let go. Politicians have spoken out since state incentives were used to pave the way for the plant’s construction. Iowa Fertilizer last week issued a statement: “As previously reported, a portion of the construction work on the Iowa Fertilizer plant has been reassigned from one out-of-state firm to three firms already working onsite, including Ryan & Associates, a Davenport-based union shop. Throughout the project, Iowa Fertilizer has committed to hiring subcontractors based on safety record, skill, ability to meet the construction schedule, and price. We fully expect the subcontractors to hire the best workers available who meet that criteria. Work on the project continues to progress and remains on schedule for completion in the fourth quarter of 2015.”
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain