Striking John Deere workers could return to work with UAW vote

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Members of the United Auto Workers union were scheduled to vote Tuesday on an agreement reached last weekend with striking workers at tractor company John Deere, which could end a labor walkout that's been going for more than two weeks.

More than 10,000 John Deere workers walked out of a dozen plants in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas on Oct. 14 over concerns about pay and benefits.

On Saturday, the union and John Deere reached a tentative agreement that would give the workers a 10% pay increase.

There are nearly 400,000 active members of the United Auto Workers union, including thousands that work at several John Deere plants in the Midwest. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

The agreement also protects the UAW workers at John Deere from increases in health insurance premiums.

The workers, however, will remain on strike until the deal is ratified.

The John Deere strike is an example of how more members of the labor force have taken advantage of worker and supply shortages over the past year brought on mainly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to data from Cornell University, the number of striking U.S. workers during October increased to 25,000.