MITCHELL BRADLEY KELLER
EDITOR
A surprise labor strike by John Deere & Company (Deere) employees began last week at 14 of the manufacturing giant’s Midwest and southern factories, but locally at Horicon Works, no picket lines are expected as the roughly 800 employees, here, are represented by a different labor union.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) is representing the more than 10,000 Deere employees that walked out last Thursday; something national media has said surprised UAW leadership and employees of Deere. The UAW laborers cited eliminated pensions, slow financial advancement and a lack of benefits as three main reasons for the strike, however, the situation – even as of this publication – has remained murky, as best.
One such detail that emerged from the failed contract negotiations is that Deere was offering high-level production employees a starting wage just more than $30 per hour, which rose to just $31.84 after five years.
According to financial analysts, Deere is expecting to report record profits (close to $6 billion) in 2021.
The International Association of Machinists (IAM) represents the Horicon Works employees, and communication from the local lodge (#873, located on Barstow Street in Horicon) stated that contract negotiations would begin shortly in preparation for the contract’s end in 2022.
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A sign at the entrance of the John Deere Horicon Works facility at 1501 E. Lake Street on the City of Horicon’s west side. file photo
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