Deere & Co. workers go on strike after rejecting contract

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — More than 10,000 Deere & Co. workers went on strike Thursday after the United Auto Workers union said negotiators couldn’t deliver a new agreement that would meet the “demands and needs” of workers.

The vast majority of the union rejected a contract offer earlier this week that would have delivered 5% raises to some workers and 6% raises to others.

Thirty-five years have passed since the last major Deere strike, but workers are emboldened to demand more this year after working long hours throughout the pandemic and because companies are facing worker shortages.

Illinois-based Deere says it’s committed to resolving the strike with an agreement that benefits all employees.