Deere, Whirlpool reach labor deals

Deere & Co. and Whirlpool Corp., companies with significant manufacturing operations in Eastern Iowa, have reached agreement on new union contracts.

Members of United Auto Workers voted Sunday to ratify a six-year master contract with Deere, the Moline, Ill.-based manufacturer of farm, construction and landscaping equipment. The agreement covers 10,000 workers at plants in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas.

Deere operates plants in Ankeny, Cedar Falls-Waterloo, Dubuque, the Quad Cities and Ottumwa. The company declined to release details of the contract and the union asked its members not to discuss specifics of the agreement.

Deere has furloughed about 1,500 workers, many of them in Cedar Falls-Waterloo. The company has attributed the layoffs to a weaker farm economy and a decline in demand for combines, tractors and other farm equipment.

The previous six-year master contract with the UAW expired on Oct. 1. It was negotiated and ratified when corn and soybeans were selling for significantly higher prices.

Members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1526 voted Sept. 26 to approve a new four-year contract with Whirlpool Corp. of Benton Harbor, Mich.

The contract, which expires on Sept. 26, 2019, covers 2,600 employees at the Whirlpool Amana Division plant.

Whirlpool, in a statement, said specific details of the contract are confidential, but changes to wages, benefits, and various work rules were negotiated. They will be implemented over the life of the agreement.

'We're very pleased with the outcome of the negotiations,” said Tim White, leader of the Whirlpool Amana plant.

Randy Krewson, Machinists Local 1526 assistant directing business representative, declined to comment on the contract beyond confirming that a four-year agreement was approved.

The Whirlpool Amana Division plant manufactures refrigerators, freezers and ice-makers.