Striking Deere workers to vote this week on new contract offer
November 15th, 2021 by Ric Hanson
(Radio Iowa) – As the strike at a dozen Midwest John Deere plants enters its second month, union workers are scheduled to vote Wednesday on a modified contract offer from the company. The U-A-W issued a statement late Friday, saying the company had made some modest modifications in its second contract offer and the union described the tentative agreement as Deere’s last, best and final offer. Neither side has disclosed details about the changes.
On November 2nd, the second tentative agreement between Deere and the U-A-W was rejected on a 55 to 45 percent vote by union members. More than 10-thousand John Deere employees have been on strike since October 14th.
The second tentative agreement would have provided an immediate 10 percent pay increase, with five percent pay hikes in the third and fifth years of the six-year-long contract. Deere executives had indicated that was the maximum the company would offer in terms of new costs.