Production and maintenance workers at 14 Deere and Co. plants are expected to return to work starting Wednesday night after voting to approve a new contract.
United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents over 10,000 Deere employees in the U.S., said late Wednesday its members voted 61 per cent in favour of new six-year collective bargaining agreements.
Operations are expected to resume on the third shift Wednesday night at affected plants, the major farm equipment manufacturer said in a statement.
Deere workers have been on strike since Oct. 14, after voting to reject a contract proposal that had the approval of both the company and UAW brass.
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The work stoppage created uncertainty among farmers about equipment availability and parts supplies, particularly during the U.S. corn and soybean harvests. It also raised questions among market analysts about expectations for the company’s income this year.
“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,” Deere CEO John May said in a statement late Wednesday.
UAW said Wednesday the now-ratified agreement includes an US$8,500 signing bonus and a 20 per cent increase in wages over the length of the contract, with 10 per cent coming this year.
The union said the deal also resumes cost-of-living adjustments and provides for three lump sum payments of three per cent each, plus “enhanced” retirement options and performance benefits.
Deere workers’ willingness to strike “resulted in a groundbreaking contract and sets a new standard for workers not only within the UAW but throughout the country,” Chuck Browning, director of UAW’s agricultural implement department, said in the union’s release. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
