Day One Of Strike at John Deere and Company

Dozens of union members from John Deere Dubuque Works gathered at strategic locations Thursday to rally support for their strike. Picketers convened at multiple entrances to the Dubuque plant, holding signs. Members also gathered outside the United Auto Workers Local 94 Hall on Central Avenue. The union’s previous six-year contract was originally set to expire on October 1st. The United Auto Workers and Deere reached a tentative agreement on the first day of October, but the proposal was rejected by 90% of UAW members on Sunday. A final strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday came and went without a new agreement, resulting in the first major strike staged by John Deere workers since 1986. Officials with Deere & Co. said Thursday that affected plants are not shut down. In a statement, the company indicated that employees and others will be entering factories daily to keep operations running but provided no further details on these plans.