John Deere Is Testing Its Workers’ Resolve
The union contract for 10,000 UAW workers at John Deere’s Midwestern plants is set to expire fall 2027. The agricultural machinery maker is asking them to extend that contract by two years, probing whether workers are willing to fight for a better deal.
A truck hauls a piece of John Deere equipment from the factory past workers picketing outside of the John Deere Davenport Works facility on October 15, 2021, in Davenport, Iowa. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
The agricultural machinery maker John Deere tested the mettle of the United Auto Workers (UAW) this summer, probing for softness as the union heads into a leadership election this month. After fits and starts the union essentially told Deere to stick it. As promised, though, members will vote on Deere’s proposal on August 23.
Deere wants to extend its six-year contract to eight years. The current pact for ten thousand workers at nine Midwestern plants expires October 31, 2027 — six months before the union’s deals with the Big 3 automakers are up on May 1, 2028.
In 2021, Deere workers struck for thirty-four days, gaining national press. They voted down two offers before winning a 20 percent pay boost over six years, a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), and three lump sums. Jake Lane, education chair at UAW Local 450 in Des Moines, Iowa, told Labor Notes, “Everybody is still pretty proud of our strike.”
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