FedEx cuts 80-plus jobs in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque

Ongoing restructuring of operations will eliminate 84 FedEx jobs in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, the company announced Monday.

The package-delivery company said 60-day notices under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) law will go out Wednesday. The company plans to eliminate 57 jobs at its facility at The Eastern Iowa Airport and 27 at its Harrison Street operation in Dubuque, according to spokesman David Westrick.

FedEx’s Network 2.0 program launched in 2020 “to improve how we pick up, transport, and deliver packages across the U.S. and Canada,” Westrick wrote in an email. “This initiative aims to simplify service with a ‘one van, one neighborhood’ model, enhancing efficiency and customer experience.”

“We’re consolidating our package operating companies and moving toward one driver on each route,” Westrick said in an e-mail.

Cedar Rapids and Dubuque are the latest FedEx locations to undergo the changes, which have already been implemented at 300 sites in the U.S. and Canada, Westrick wrote. More than 2.5 million packages a day are being handled under the new plan. Some facilities are closed entirely, while staffing at others is being reorganized.

Besides the airport facility, FedEx operates four other Cedar Rapids package distribution and drop-off facilities employing more than 700. The company will continue to employ about 150 people at three Dubuque sites.

Under the new plan, customers may no longer need to sort packages for collection by FedEx and will see a single daily delivery instead of multiple stops, according to Westrick.

FedEx is offering affected workers jobs at other locations with relocation assistance, or a severance package. Workers were notified of the changes several months ago.

“Many will be offered other roles within the company,” Westrick wrote.