USA: John Deere says it won’t resume talks after striking workers reject an agreement; incl. co. comment
"John Deere says it won’t resume talks after striking workers reject an agreement," 3 Nov. 2021
One day after workers at the agriculture equipment maker Deere & Company voted down a second contract proposal, the company said ... that the proposal was its best and final offer and that it had no plans to resume bargaining. The rejection of the contract by roughly 10,000 workers extended a strike that began in mid-October [2021], after workers based primarily in Iowa and Illinois voted down an earlier agreement negotiated by the United Automobile Workers union.
... Marc A. Howze, a senior Deere official, said in a statement ... that the agreement would have included an investment of “an additional $3.5 billion in our employees, and by extension, our communities.” “With the rejection of the agreement covering our Midwest facilities, we will execute the next phase of our Customer Service Continuation Plan,” the statement continued, alluding to Deere’s use of salaried employees to run facilities where workers are striking.
... Many workers had complained that wage increases and retirement benefits included in the initial proposal were too weak given that the company — known for its distinctive green-and-yellow John Deere products — was on pace for a record of nearly $6 billion in annual profits.