Deere to UAW: Ball is in your court

Deere & Co. says the proposed contract offered striking workers — which union members rejected Tuesday — is the company's "last, best, and final offer."

Jen Hartmann, a spokesperson for Deere, said Wednesday the company was proud of its six-year contract offer, which would have boosted pay and benefits for about 10,000 UAW workers.

She said Deere informed the UAW "the ball is in their court."

UAW members, on strike since Oct. 14, rejected the deal, 55 percent to 45 percent, despite gaining majority support from Quad-City union members. Union members at manufacturing plants Waterloo and Dubuque, however, rejected the contract.

That means the strike will continue by 10,100 production and maintenance employees at 12 Deere facilities in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas. It is the first major walkout at the agricultural machinery giant in more than three decades.

Hartman said company officials “will be communicating with the UAW … to make sure that that is understood and clear. We can move toward our first goal to get employees back to work. This is certainly a tough time of year for everyone, but we would like to see everyone back to work.”

In response Brian Rothenberg, a spokesperson for UAW, said the union’s bargaining team continues “to discuss next steps. The UAW appreciated the community support of our members on the picket line.”

The proposed contract offered improved wages and benefits from the initial agreement, which was overwhelmingly voted down Oct. 10.

But a union member at Deere’s Davenport Works said the last offer didn’t encompass all of the UAW’s demands, but that the offer probably would have been ratified if it had been the company’s first offer.

“I think the company got a little greedy there with that first tentative agreement, and it backfired and it ended up putting us out on strike because the agreement was so awful,” the worker said. “That kind of galvanized a lot of people's frustration for the last 20 years.”

Workers on Wednesday returned to the picket lines for Day 20 of the strike in temperatures around 30 degrees. Outside of Davenport Works, union members were picketing without burn barrels, which are barred by court order.

A worker from John Deere Parts Distribution Center in Milan said December is typically their highest-paying month. If they aren't back to work by then, they will miss out on a large portion of income for the year.

Union workers said they are divided on incentive payments, wage increases and retirement benefits, which is responsible for the rejection vote’s narrow margin and tensions in locals.

“There is nothing else to bargain,” Deere’s Hartmann said. “We continue to believe this is a really great offer and because it does even push us into that place where we need to make sure we are competitive …

“This is the best we are going to do in terms of the wages, benefits, health care and retirement that we have to offer employees.”

Deere officials said they are moving forward with their plan to put salaried workers into plant roles to keep production moving.

Hartman said she could not confirm if Deere was considering hiring outside workers to fill union member’s manufacturing roles.

Deere stock closed Wednesday at $342.30, down 75 cents.