Deere Employees End Strike, Ratify Agreements
The UAW has informed Deere & Company that its production and maintenance employees have voted to ratify new six-year collective bargaining agreements that cover more than 10,000 workers at 14 John Deere facilities across the United States.
By a vote of 61 percent to 39 percent, UAW John Deere members ratified the agreement, which includes an $8,500 signing bonus; 20-percent increase in wages over the lifetime of the contract (with 10 percent this year); return of cost-of-living adjustments; three three-percent lump sum payments; enhanced options for retirement and enhanced CIPP performance benefits. Healthcare remains the same for the life of the agreement.
“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,” says John C. May, Deere chairman and CEO. “John Deere’s success depends on the success of our people. Through our new collective bargaining agreements, we’re giving employees the opportunity to earn wages and benefits that are the best in our industries and are groundbreaking in many ways. We have faith that, in return, our employees will find new and better ways to improve our competitiveness and transform the way our customers do their work. Together, our future is bright.”
“Our members’ courageous willingness to strike in order to attain a better standard of living and a more secure retirement resulted in a groundbreaking contract and sets a new standard for workers not only within the UAW but throughout the country,” says Chuck Browning, vice president of the UAW and director of the UAW Agricultural Implement department. “The sacrifice and solidarity displayed by our John Deere members combined with the determination of their negotiators made this accomplishment possible. They have started a movement for workers in this country by what was achieved here today and they have earned the admiration and respect of all that strive for what is just and equitable in the workplace.”
Negotiations on the new six-year collective bargaining agreements initially began on August 17 of this year, here’s the timeline:
- October 4, 2015: Ratification of current six-year contract
- August 17, 2021: Collective bargaining begins
- September 30, 2021: Contract extended as negotiations continue
- October 1, 2021: John Deere and UAW reach a tentative agreement
- October 10, 2021: Deere employees reject tentative agreement
- October 30, 2021: Deere, UAW reach second tentative agreement
- November 2, 2021: Second tentative agreement rejection
- November 17, 2021: Ratification of agreement
Contract details can be found here.
JOHN DEERE
www.deere.com
UAW
www.uaw.org
