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.
According to the Associated Press, the agreement that was rejected would've offered production workers would be paid $30/hour then increase to $31.84 after five years.
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.
The news outlet reported that plants affected by the strike include seven in Iowa, four in Illinois, and one each in Kansas, Colorado, and Georgia.
