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Members of the United Auto Workers at John Deere voted yesterday to decline the company’s proposal to extend the current collective bargaining agreement through 2029.
“While John Deere continues to outsource jobs, 1600 workers are still laid off. Our members rejected Deere’s offer to extend their contract because they know their worth and what they deserve,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “The company failed to make an offer that addressed the issues weighing on the minds of our members, especially job security. We’ll see Deere at the table in 2027.”
John Deere’s financial record in the UAW’s view clarifies why workers believe they deserve an equal voice in decisions about the contract. “Deere made nearly $5 billion in profit in 2025 and expects to make another $4.5 billion to $5 billion this year. Last year, the company spent $1.1 billion buying back its own stock and paid shareholders $1.7 billion in dividends, with another $7.9 billion set aside for future stock buybacks. Meanwhile, CEO John May received $27.9 million in total compensation in 2025,” the UAW said in a statement.
“Our members see billions going to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks, said UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson, Agricultural Implement Department Director, “while the workers whose skill and labor make those profits possible are asked to accept less. Our members know their value and said NO to their offer.” [Well, the full, formal UAW name is: The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America – AutoCrat.]
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
