11/18/2021

John Deere Strike to End as UAW Members Ratify Contract Offer

They voted to end the five-week strike and return to work

More than 10,000 workers at John Deere will end a five-week strike and return to work after voting nearly two-to-one in favor of an offer very similar to one they rejected at the start of this month.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union announced Wednesday that 61 percent of members at Deere voted in favor of what the company had described as its last and best offer.

Both offers, the one that was rejected in a November 2 vote and the one accepted Wednesday, contain substantial gains for the union members. Both included a 10 percent immediate raise, an $8,500 signing bonus, additional 5 percent raises in the third and fifth year of the proposed six-year deal, and additional lump sum payments equal to 3 percent of pay in years two, four and six. In addition it restored a cost-of-living adjustment to protect workers from increases in consumer prices. Such clauses used to be common in union contracts but have become relatively rare in recent years.

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