John Deere Employees picket at Moline headquarters

John Deere production and maintenance workers gathered this week for what they called an "informational picket".

This comes after Deere employees, who are part of the United Auto Workers (U-A-W) Union in Waterloo, voted to pass a strike authorization over a contract that affects more than 10,000 workers across 12 Deere facilities.

Third generation Deere employee, Tim Niedert, said he wants the same benefits his father and grandfather received.

“We are not too far removed from a time when our grandfathers, our fathers and our uncles retired from John Deere with a fully supplemented pension and post-retirement health care, which they could pass on to surviving spouses,” Niedert said. “There was a pretty blatant attack on our benefits. They want us to pay more for our benefits. There are things they want to take away from us - our job security provisions. They want to erode our seniority rights and consolidate job classifications.”

John Deere’s last contract negotiation was in 2015, where it passed with less than 200 votes.

While there are many areas of the contract employees want to negotiate, "legacy costs" are a large focus. This includes post-retirement health care and a full pension plan.

The U-A-W did not sanction the picketing, but the event was still lawful. The union stated, “This is a protected activity. It is protected by the National Labor Relations Board. We're not anti-John Deere, we want the company to do well.

John Deere made a comment in regards to the picketing, stating:

"John Deere respects its employees’ desire to voice their opinions. One of the things that has made John Deere’s relationship with our employees and the U-A-W strong for nearly 80 years is our shared interest in better understanding one another’s views. This mutual respect has allowed us to reach collective bargaining agreements that provide our employees with the opportunity to earn the best wages and most comprehensive benefits in our industries, while also maintaining our competitiveness in an increasingly challenging environment. We remain committed to this approach in our ongoing negotiations with the U-A-W."

John Deere will propose a new contract on October 10th, where employees will take another vote.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

If you’re a Deere employee, this negotiation probably couldn’t come at a more opportune time. From Deere’s perspective they are likely not as thrilled about the timing. Machinery sales are going through the roof, there are already supply chain problems and the competition is severe. This all adds up to bargaining power for the union and a tough bargaining position for Deere. As promised when we first reported on this story a few weeks back, we are keeping you posted since it has huge implications for Deere, and also other OEMs who may be next in line for such talks. In addition, the results could lead to higher prices for ag equipment, which will eventually make farmers dig deeper into their pockets for the purchases they need to operate their farm. This is where you, as a CAD dealer, will come to their rescue with AgPack! Providing the farmer/rancher with thousands of dollars in exclusive rebates and discounts that will help them save on operating expenses!

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