Most Deere workers reject contract offer from tractor maker

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — The vast majority of United Auto Workers union members rejected a contract offer from Deere & Co. Sunday that would have delivered at least 5% raises to the workers who make John Deere tractors and other equipment.

“The tentative agreement reached by the UAW and John Deere was rejected this evening by a majority of 90% of the membership,” UAW Vice President Chuck Browning said in a statement Sunday night.

Negotiators will return to the bargaining table Monday to try and work out a new deal to cover more than 10,000 workers at 14 plants across the United States. The union set a strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

Officials at the Moline, Illinois-based company said operations will continue as normal in the meantime. Brad Morris, vice president of labor relations for Deere, expressed disappointment that the offer was rejected.

https://apnews.com/article/business-united-auto-workers-illinois-moline-united-states-a728cb5af26e5c10db15205071deebff

FILE - In this April 9, 2019, wheels are attach as workers assemble a tractor at John Deere's Waterloo, Iowa assembly plant. The vast majority of United Auto Workers union members rejected a contract offer from Deere & Co. Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021 that would have delivered at least 5% raises to the workers who make John Deere tractors and other equipment. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/Telegraph Herald via AP, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-united-auto-workers-illinois-moline-united-states-a728cb5af26e5c10db15205071deebff

[Auggie]

1. If the average Deere assembly worker earns $15.30 an hour ...

that translates to about $45,000 a year (rounded up). 5% would mean an increase, before taxes, of $2,250.00, or $187.50 a month, or about $47.00 a week (nota bene: my rudimentary math).

Chicken feed

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=John_Deere/Hourly_Rate

[rickford66]

3. $15.30 X 2080 equals $31,824 not $45,000

Or do they work 2941 hours per year ?

[Auggie]

4. Thanks for correcting

I added weekends -- my mistake (I did warn about my math).

[cstanleytech]

5. Assuming Google is not wrong the median is $65 an hour so if that is correct it means an

average of $129,132 and adding 5% brings that to $135,588 which would mean it would be an average increase of $124 a week.

[Auggie]

6. Hourly rates vary by job and skill level

[cstanleytech]

7. Considering these are union jobs though I suspect few of them pay in the $15 area.

[Tetrachloride]

2. Waterloo Iowa has lots of sky. As I recall, Moline doesn't.