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Deere workers strike for a living wage against $100 billion firm

DemLabs blog

October 16, 2021

Deere workers deserve a decent living

Deere CEO makes $15.6 million while workers earn an average of $24/hour. Follow the money to see how the system is rigged by the rich at the expense of the working poor.

More than 10,000 workers at the tractor and agricultural giant John Deere walked off the job on  beginning the largest private sector strike in the United States since 2019. 

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John Deere

"Deere, long known to farmers for its green-and-yellow product line, is a publicly traded company valued at more than $100 billion. After a brief plunge early in the pandemic, its shares have tripled, far outpacing the overall market. - NY Times

"John C. May, the CEO received $15.6 million in 2020, up from $6 million the year before, based on the company's financial performance." - Des Moines Register

"John Deere donated $611,296 to Republicans in 2020." - Open Secrets

"Iowa Republicans silent about strike. Governor Kim Reynolds, Senator Joni Ernst, and U.S. Representatives Ashley Hinson (IA-01), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), and Randy Feenstra (IA-04) said nothing about the event directly affecting thousands of their constituents. Federal Election Commission records show the John Deere PAC gave $5,000 each to the campaign committees of Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Feenstra, and Grassley earlier this year. To be clear, I wouldn’t expect any Republican to express full-throated support for workers on strike. But you would think they would at least acknowledge a huge news story that impacts Iowans and the agriculture sector, even if just with a generic statement saying they hope both sides can agree on a new contract soon." - Bleeding Heartland

Republicans favor the rich at the expense of the working poor

Republicans: A party of the rich, by the rich, for the rich.

Making it harder to organize. Under Cover of Pandemic, Trump's NLRB Moves to Make Unionizing 'Nearly Impossible for Workers'. The proposed rule change from the board—which is controlled by three Trump appointees was published in the Federal Register. The new rule would eliminate the NLRB's "blocking charge policy," which permits the delay of union election results if the employer is accused of unlawful coercion or other unfair labor practices.

The proposal would also allow employees to file for decertification of a union in as few as 45 days after the union is voluntarily recognized by an employer. Under the new rule, a petition for decertification could be filed if just 30% of employees in a bargaining unit support the move. Opponents of the new rule said the changes could empower employees to illegally manipulate union election results and allow a minority of workers to decertify a union that a majority of workers voted to form." - Common Dreams

Oppose a living wage. "The Republican actions demonstrate that contrary to their platitudes about states and localities dealing with minimum wage, the low-wage workers in the 21 states with minimum wages currently stuck at the federal rate of $7.25 per hour, have virtually no realistic chance of seeing an increase anytime in the foreseeable or reasonable future. The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour since July 24, 2009. It’s long past time for a raise, and only one party seems willing to deliver on that promise." - The Hill

TakeAway: Follow the money with a relationship map to see how the rich use political influence to enrich themselves at the expense of the working poor, and how voter suppression is used to block reforms.

Deepak
DemLabs

john deere,strike,UAW

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