Striking John Deere Workers Reject Second Contract Offer, Hold the Line

“We have the support of the community, we have the support of workers all around the country,” Chris Laursen, a Deere worker in Ottumwa, Iowa who was until recently the president of his union local and voted for the second contract, told the Times. “If we turned down a 20 percent increase over a six-year period, substantial gains to our pension plan, I’m afraid we would lose that.”

Douglas Woolam, who has worked at John Deere Seeding Group for 23 years, told USA Today that his father retired from Deere at a higher pay rate than he has now, and also received substantial retirement bonuses and ongoing health coverage. He added most Deere workers make no more than $23.70 an hour, or about $47,400 annually.

“I’m not thinking about me,” Woolam told USA Today. “I’m thinking about people behind me. My dad thought about people behind him. My aunt thought about people behind her. And my grandfather thought about people behind him.”

Bloomberg Law noted that many more workers may go on strike in the coming months. Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers organizing for better conditions have already voted to authorize work stoppages. The army of workers working behind the scenes in Hollywood, ranging from sound technicians and set decorators to carpenters and costume artists, may still vote to reject a contract deal between major studios and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and go on strike.