North Cook News

Illinois State House District 18 candidate Charles Hutchinson stated, "Illinois is on the WRONG TRACK!" in response to businesses leaving the state. He made this statement in a June 7 post on Facebook.

"While Illinois Democrats are busy patting themselves on the back and declaring that IL is "On the Right Track!", businesses continue to flee," said Hutchinson, according to Facebook. "John Deere has announced that another 120 workers will be laid off from the Moline IL plant this month, bringing the total to over 350 good paying, John Deere factory jobs lost in the past year. Illinois is on the WRONG TRACK! In #Springfield I will fight to make #Illinois a business-friendly state so we don't keep losing businesses, jobs, and people."

In his Facebook post, Hutchinson shared a link to a report from WQAD. The report revealed that more than 120 production workers will be laid off at the John Deere Seeding and Cylinder operations in Moline, Illinois. According to the WQAD news story, the layoff will take effect on June 28.

Screenshot of Charles Hutchinson's June 7 Facebook post | Charles Hutchinson's campaign Facebook page

This is not the first layoff to affect the Moline Cylinder Works this year. WQAD reported that 34 production employees were laid off in May. The Seeding and Cylinder operation has nearly 900 employees, with about 690 working in production and maintenance. Additionally, in October 2023, more than 200 production workers at East Moline’s John Deere Harvester Works lost their jobs.

The Telegraph Herald reported on the news, including a statement from John Deere. "Each John Deere factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs of the individual factory to optimize the workforce at each facility. John Deere Seeding and Cylinder currently have about 890 total employees with about 690 of them working in production and maintenance jobs," said a company spokesperson who was not further identified in the Telegraph Herald article. The company is working to acquire land for a new facility in Ramos, Mexico, according to the Telegraph Herald report.

WVIK shared an email from John Deere’s statement on the Moline layoffs, which other news outlets also reported on. In addition to information shared by the Telegraph Herald, WVIK noted that employees learned of their impending layoffs during meetings with factory leadership.

Hutchinson is a Wilmette lawyer who is deeply ingrained in the community through roles including Chamber of Commerce President, Chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, and a Wilmette Theatre Board member. His website notes his candidacy is driven by a shared objective of strengthening community bonds and advocating for vital issues such as parental rights, education, neighborhood safety, and tax reduction.