By Filed Under: Ag economy, Ag Equipment, Ag Jobs, Ag labor & immigration, Agriculture, Economy, Farm Machinery, Farmer, Nebraska, News, supply chain
Deere & Company and its union employees are back at the bargaining table as the labor strike has entered its sixth day.
In a statement to Brownfield, John Deere says the company and the United Auto Workers Union are back negotiating after employees began picketing last Thursday.
Central Nebraska farmer Clay Govier tells Brownfield he supports the strike. “We’re having problems or concerns about getting new equipment before the strike, now I’m going to be completely honest with you, I think the workers of John Deere are probably justified in doing what they’re doing,” Govier says.
But, he says the strike will worsen supply chain disruptions. “I did speak with a salesperson from our local dealership and getting new equipment is going to be really tricky to get this next year so if dealerships don’t have anything to sell and farmers and kind of flushed with cash at the moment, it creates kind of an interesting situation at the moment.”
Jennifer Hartmann, a Deere & Company spokesman, tells Brownfield they remain fully committed to the bargaining process to resolve the strike. “We remain committed to providing our production and maintenance employees with the opportunities to earn the best wages and most comprehensive benefits in our industries,” Hartman says.
The UAW says Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack will visit pick lines Wednesday afternoon.