Workers at US farm machinery manufacturer John Deere on Wednesday ended a mass strike launched last month, after reaching a collective deal with management that includes a wage hike, the United Auto Workers union said.
The strikers will return to work Thursday morning, the UAW said in a statement.
Some 10,000 employees across 14 facilities launched their industrial action on October 14 in protest at new terms negotiated with the group’s management.
Workers complained that proposed salary increases were insufficient given that the company reported profits of $1.7 billion in the most recent quarter.
A total of 61 percent of UAW members approved the new six-year collective agreement on Wednesday while 39 percent voted against, the union said.
According to the UAW, the deal includes “an $8,500 signing bonus; 20 percent increase in wages over the lifetime of the contract with 10 percent this year,” expanded options for retirement and enhanced performance benefits.
“Our members’ courageous willingness to strike in order to attain a better standard of living and a more secure retirement resulted in a groundbreaking contract and sets a new standard for workers not only within the UAW but throughout the country,” said Chuck Browning, the union’s vice president.
Several other large companies, such as cereal giant Kellogg have been hit with strikes or the threat of industrial action recently, with employees exhausted after working long hours during the coronavirus pandemic or resentful that bosses are not sharing sometimes huge profits.
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