Deere and Company says the second contract offer just rejected by union workers is the company’s last and final offer and representatives of Deere will not return to the negotiating table. Jennifer Hartmann, a spokesman for the company, says Deere listened to production and maintenance employees after the first tentative agreement was overwhelmingly rejected a month ago. Ninety percent of union workers rejected Deere’s first contract offer. The second offer, which included immediate 10 percent raises and a bonus of 85-hundred dollars, was rejected by 55 percent of U-A-W members.
According to a statement from Deere, the company’s contract offer would provide workers with an additional three-and-a-half billion dollars over the next six years. The U-A-W issued a brief statement after the tentative agreement was voted down, saying the strike against Deere would continue as the union discusses the next steps with the company.