‘We’ll Never Be in This Position Again’: Striking Deere Workers Hold Out for Better Deal

by Justin | Nov 11, 2021 | John Deere, Labor Notes

A month into the nation’s largest work stoppage, striking John Deere workers are holding out for a better deal. For the second time in a month, 10,000 Auto Workers at John Deere stunned both the company and the union leadership November 2 by rejecting a tentative...

Academic Workers Join Push for One Member, One Vote in the UAW

by Justin | Nov 5, 2021 | Administration Caucus, Columbia University, Harvard University, HGSU - UAW Local 5118, Labor Notes, One Member One Vote, Referendum Vote, Student Workers of Columbia, UAW Corruption Scandal

Higher education workers aren’t just joining their UAW brothers and sisters on the picket lines. They’re also on the front lines of the struggle to win direct elections of top UAW officers and break the decades-long one-party control of the union’s leadership...

Let’s Put a Wrench in Things Now’: Deere Workers Strike as Company Rakes in Record Profits

by Justin | Oct 20, 2021 | John Deere, Labor Notes

Deere is in the midst of its most profitable year ever. The farm and construction equipment manufacturer expects to rake in $5.7 to $5.9 billion in net income this year, far exceeding its previous high of $3.5 billion in 2013. “When you factor in the pandemic, being...

Labor Notes Panel: The Fights to Transform the UAW and the Teamsters

by Justin | Oct 15, 2021 | Labor Notes, One Member One Vote, Referendum Vote, TDU, Teamsters

For decades, members of the United Auto Workers and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, have struggled to turn their iconic unions into democratic organizations that are ready to fight the boss. This November, two landmark campaigns — the 2021 Teamsters...

In a Surprise, John Deere Workers Get to See Contract Before Voting On It

by Justin | Oct 9, 2021 | John Deere, Labor Notes

Ten thousand Auto Workers (UAW) members at John Deere will vote on a new contract on Sunday, October 10. Unexpectedly, they can see the language of proposed changes to their several-hundred-page contract ahead of the vote. The UAW International posted the language...

Auto Workers to Vote on Direct Elections for Officers

by Justin | Sep 27, 2021 | Administration Caucus, Labor Notes, One Member One Vote, Referendum Vote, UAW Corruption Scandal

Last December the union entered a consent decree with the Department of Justice. One of its main provisions was this referendum on whether or not members should directly elect their top leaders. Rank-and-file organizers hope that the right to vote will give members...