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The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

Tension in the Quad Cities: UAW workers go on strike after John Deere reports record-breaking profits

UAW+Workers+go+on+strike+after+the+contract+fails+to+meet+their+financial++needs+and+demands.
Chloe Isbell
UAW Workers go on strike after the contract fails to meet their financial needs and demands.

With its headquarters located in the Quad Cities’ very own Moline, Illinois, John Deere is the world’s largest manufacturer of farm equipment and employs around 70,000 people. Recently, however, the company has failed to meet the United Auto Workers (UAW) demands for improved standards of living.

The UAW went on strike starting Oct. 14 after 90% of the workers rejected a contract offer proposed by John Deere. The contracting question offered pay raises up to 5 to 6% but failed to meet the worker’s retirement and wage goals. As a result, more than 10,000 UAW workers have gone on strike in 14 plants in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado and Georgia.

The worker’s strike at John Deere stems from them working as essential workers during the pandemic but supposedly not receiving fair treatment from the company. The employees worked for 10 to 12 hours each day during the business week as well as Saturdays, consistently working overtime. 

The strikers discerned that their pay and benefits did not echo their hard-work during the pandemic. “Strikes are never easy on workers or their families but John Deere workers believe they deserve a better share of the pie, a safer workplace, and adequate benefits,” said UAW Region 8 director Mitchell Smith in a statement by the UAW.

The “pie” Smith mentioned refers to John Deere’s record breaking profits recorded in 2021: $4.7 billion profit in the first three quarters of 2021, compared to the previous record of $3.5 billion in 2013. In the first nine months, John Deere spent over $1.7 billion on stock buybacks and paid out $761 million in dividends to shareholders. 

Although the strike started very recently, many farmers and economists are worried this exacerbates supply chain issues COVID caused all over the world in the farm industry. Without a stable work force to assemble the machinery or send parts from John Deere, many farmers are concerned that it will only make farming more difficult.

PV economics teacher Philip George explained how the strike could have unintended consequences. “The strike will definitely impact farmers and the farm economy,” George described. “Mostly because they will need repair parts for their equipment that they can’t currently get as easily at the moment. As it is harvesting season, if they have any breakdowns that slow down their work and can’t get replacement parts for them, they will struggle to complete the harvest on time which can then impact many other related markets.”

If a harvester on a farm breaks down, and if the farmers are waiting on a part to come in, not only is the harvester sitting idle until the new part comes in, but the farmers cannot harvest their crops. Crops that are planted or harvested late can be defective. 

The economic impacts are pressuring both sides to come to a consensus as soon as possible so the workers can start working again and John Deere can go back to normal operations. 

Current John Deere employees are not allowed to comment on the situation; however, it is safe to say they are all thinking about what retired John Deere employee Randy Carlz had to say. “It’s too bad it had to come to the level of a strike, but I understand the rationale for the union rank and file supporting the authorization for the strike. I hope the strike is resolved amicably and soon for both parties.”

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About the Contributors
Mukul Kulkarni, Copy Editor
Mukul Kulkarni is a Senior at Pleasant Valley High School and will be working as a Copy Editor for the Spartan Shield. He is a passionate musician, teaching himself drumset and successfully auditioning for a snare drum [position on the Spartan Drumline after less than a year of experience. Mukul wishes to continue exploring talents by joining the PV jazz band as a drummer and being a part of Drum Corps International. Hoping to be an engineer in the future, using and teaching STEM principles is a central part of Mukul’s life. Mukul volunteers for the non-profit STEAM On Wheels, an organization that encourages elementary school students to pursue STEM careers by conducting creative hands-on experiments. Mukul has a job as a tutor for Mathnasium, a math only learning center. Although Mukul is undecided about which university he will attend, his creativity and interest for engineering can be seen with his woodworking projects, a skill he taught himself. 
Chloe Isbell, Photo Manager
Chloe Isbell is an involved senior at Pleasant Valley High School. Being an avid member of Publications for the past two years, she was selected as Co-editor of Chief of the Yearbook for this school year. All of her success in academics contributed to being selected for the National Honors Society. Outside of school, she loves to spend lots of time with family, friends and her two dogs, Hayden and Oscar. Also, she is an active member of her St. Paul Lutheran Church youth group in which she enjoys participating in mission trips and volunteering for her congregation and 678 Week. She spends most nights at her dance studio, Belle Academy of Dance, taking many styles of dance. Her favorites include modern and hip hop. This past year, she was awarded with her studio’s Connie Bracy Inspiring Dancer of 2021. Her love of environmental change has sparked her interest in majoring in environmental science and sustainability in college. She is excited to be a part of the Spartan Shield Online team this year!
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Tension in the Quad Cities: UAW workers go on strike after John Deere reports record-breaking profits