Union Members Reject Deere's Proposed Tentative Agreements

(RTTNews) - Deere & Company (DE), a manufacturer of agricultural machinery said its production and maintenance staff and the members of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America or UAW rejected the tentative labor agreement that would have covered over 10,000 workers at 14 sites across the U.S.

On October 1, the company had said it reached a 6-year tentative labor agreement with the union that covers about 10,100 production and maintenance staff at 12 facilities in Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas as well as Deere parts facilities in Denver and Atlanta.

Upon rejection of the agreement, Brad Morris, Vice President of Labor Relations for Deere & Company commented, "After weeks of negotiations, John Deere reached tentative agreements with the UAW that would have made the best wages and most comprehensive benefits in our industries significantly better for our employees."

"John Deere remains fully committed to continuing the collective bargaining process in an effort to better understand our employees' viewpoints."

The company however said the operations will continue as normal.