John Deere workers' union end strike

The United Automobile Workers announced on Saturday that it had reached a tentative agreement with John Deere, the agriculture equipment maker, potentially putting an end to the strike that involves around 10,000 workers that began in mid-October. The agreement is still pending approval from the union's members. John Deere workers primarily in Iowa and Illinois had gone on strike after rejecting an agreement with the company earlier last month. Many workers complained that the initial agreement had insufficient wage increases and denied pension for new employees even when the company recorded a $6 billion profit this year. Chuck Browning, the UAW vice president oversaw the negotiations with the company and said in a statement, " The negotiators focused on improving the areas of concern identified by our members during our last ratification process." 

The statement also said that the agreement "continues to provide the highest quality health care benefits in the industry" but had no mentions about the pension provisions. The union added that it would not release the agreement until all John Deere workers have had a chance to review it. Meanwhile, some John Deere workers have become suspicious of their union after a series of corruption scandals involving UAW officials and executives of a company that was then known as fiat Chrysler. 

Source: The New York Times