John Deere, workers union work out deal, ending month-long strike

Just over a month after more than 10,000 John Deere workers went on strike across the country, the company reached a deal with the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) to end the strike Wednesday. According to UAW, the deal “includes an $8,500 signing bonus; 20% increase in wages over the lifetime of the contract with 10% this year; return of Cost of Living adjustments; three 3% lump sum payments; enhanced options for retirement and enhanced CIPP performance benefits”.

“The sacrifice and solidarity displayed by our John Deere members combined with the determination of their negotiators made this accomplishment possible,” UAW Vice President Chuck Browning said in a news release on the deal to end the strike.

The deal, which was ratified in a 61%-39% vote among UAW John Deere members, covers 14 plants in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas where agricultural and construction equipment is made.

“I’m pleased our highly skilled employees are back to work building and supporting the industry-leading products which make our customers more profitable and sustainable,” John Deere CEO John May said in a news release. “John Deere’s success depends on the success of our people.”

Last month’s John Deere strike was one of several major strikes that began within weeks of each other. Roughly 1,400 workers at multiple Kellogg Company’s cereal plants also went on strike, and 60,000 film and television workers were just days away from striking if a deal wasn’t reached.

As of earlier this month, a deal had not been reached to end the Kellogg strike. Meanwhile, film industry crew members narrowly voted to approve a pair of contracts with Hollywood producers earlier this week. A deal on the contracts was reached two days ahead of the deadline the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees had set before the strike would begin.

“Our goal was to achieve fair contracts that work for IATSE members in television and film—that address quality-of-life issues and conditions on the job like rest and meal breaks,” IATSE International President Matthew Loeb said in a Monday news release. “We met our objectives for this round of bargaining and built a strong foundation for future agreements.”

Despite the fact the John Deere strike started after the Kellogg strike, UAW President Ray Curry praised the John Deere workers for uniting “the nation in a struggle for fairness in the workplace”.

“We could not be more proud of these UAW members and their families,” Curry said in the news release.