About 10,000 John Deere employees announced strike in the United States – 10/15/2021

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (EFE) – About 10,000 employees of U.S. farm machinery and construction machinery manufacturer John Deere began a strike in the United States on Thursday.

The strike affected 14 factories: seven in Iowa and four in Illinois, as well as units in Kansas, Colorado and Georgia.

In a statement, UAW Vice President Chuck Browning said John Deere employees were on strike to “earn a decent salary, retire with dignity and establish fair working rules.”

John Deere offered a 5% to 6% pay rise in negotiations with the UAW, but the union felt that the plan was not enough. The company claims that its employees already have some great pay and career offers.

According to John Deere, the average salary per employee is about $ 60,000 a year. For its part, UAW said the company was making record profits and had received significant pay rises for its executives, including CEO John May.

The salary went from $ 5 million in May 2019 to $ 16 million in 2020.

This year, the company expects record profits of between $ 5.7 billion and $ 5.9 billion. According to union representitives, the new retirement plan is targeted at lower paid employees, leaving higher paid employees to enjoy the same benefits as before. EFE