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On October 14, 2021, nearly 10,000 John Deere workers went on strike. While it was feared the strike could last for months, in November of 2021, members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Union approved a new six-year deal, which included:
$8,400 signing bonus.
20% increase in wages over the lifetime of the contract, with 10% in 2021.
Return of cost of living adjustments.
Enhanced retirement options.
Enhanced CIPP performance benefits.
It's been nearly two years since 10,000 John Deere employees went on a strike over a labor dispute. John Deere is now laying off more than 200 jobs from its Harvester Works location, in East Moline, IL. John Deere says the round of indefinite layoffs will happen in October. All employees were notified last week on Wednesday about a decision to lay off 225 people.
In a press release, John Deere said "Although John Deere has hired hundreds of employees in the Quad Cities in recent years, the company has consistently stated that each Deere factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs of the individual factory to optimize the workforce at each facility."
In the latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) flash report, combine sales are still on an impressive run so for this year across the board. This report shows sales are down 2.4% in August, however, looking at the year to date totals, combine sales are up 31.8% compared to last years totals
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Meanwhile, a labor dispute is currently playing out with the some of the nation's largest truck and car manufacturers, such as Ford. Workers also went on strike at a Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan. As a result of automakers failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the union, strikes started on Sept. 15, . These factories, are significant because they supply parts to many other locations, and are now causing even more layoffs. General Motors stated they plan on indefinitely laying off nearly 2,000 workers at its assembly plant in Kansas due to a shortage of parts caused by the strike.
"The fundamental reality is that the UAW's demands can be described in one word — untenable," General Motors President Mark Reuss said in an opinion piece published in the Detroit Free Press on Wednesday. "As the past has clearly shown, nobody wins in a strike. We have delivered a record offer. That is a fact."
Ford plant workers claim they haven't received a raise in more than ten years. A raise is long overdue as the automakers continue to boost vehicle pricing and report outstanding profits.
Workers have been giving up cost-of-living raises and other raises for years when automakers struggled financially.
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