Thread by @schweitzer515

As a senior employee of @JohnDeere, I’ve been asked multiple times by friends and family about the ongoing strike and how it’s affected me and my work. I wanted to take a moment to publicly share my thoughts regarding the strike and Deere’s response thus far:

Some background in case you’re unaware: Currently ~10,000 John Deere plant workers have walked out in protest of a new contract that would deliver sub-inflation raises and eliminate pensions for new hires.

Deere submitted this contract in the wake of record profits and continual year-over-year growth. Deere’s CEO, John May, has received a 160% boost in compensation since the beginning of the pandemic and makes well over $6 million per year, as of 2019.

The company is currently projecting nearly $6 billion in profits for 2021. In short: Deere is doing pretty damn well.

I’m not a plant worker. I’m a software engineer. I’m extremely privileged in comparison to those currently picketing outside of Deere’s manufacturing facilities. I make more money and work less hard.

Yes, it took lots of hard work (from not only myself, but my family as a whole) to get me where I am. But denying the role luck has played in my success and failing to acknowledge the privilege that succes has granted me would be absolutely unjust.

So while this union contract doesn’t affect me or the employees in my immediate vicinity, I felt it absolutely necessary to express how disappointed I am in Deere’s inability to fairly compensate those that work harder and longer hours than myself.

Let’s be clear: A sub-inflation raise is not a raise. It's a pay cut. If your “raise” only accounts for a fraction of inflation, then you are functionally making less than you made beforehand.

Deere is cutting pay for workers that literally put their lives on the line during a global pandemic to ensure factories kept running while I (and the vast majority of the highest paid Deere employees) comfortably worked from home.

These people weren’t just showing up to manufacturing facilities during the height of the pandemic for the sake of protecting Deere’s revenue. They were showing up for the greater good. Deere has cultivated an internal culture with a singular, unified vision: "Feed the world."

We are constantly reminded of the value of our work. It’s one of the reasons I decided to write code at Deere instead of Facebook, Amazon, or some other global conglomerate.

So I find it horribly ironic that Deere, a company that constantly reminds us about how instrumental they are to “feeding the world,” can’t even be bothered to feed its most critical employees.

To fail their employees to the extent that Deere already has is embarrassing. To hold hostage the health of their employees is appalling. It’s made me deeply reconsider my position at Deere and I’m certain others within my organization feel the same.

Honestly, I’m unsure of how I can help support those on strike. My first step is writing this post. I encourage you to read up and share your own thoughts as well.

The more public outcry regarding Deere’s inability to respect the humanity of its most fundamental workforce, the better.

I’ll also be donating to a fund supporting those currently on strike. I encourage you to do the same, if you’re able: gofundme.com/f/support-john…

And while I continue to seek out ways I can internally demonstrate support for the strike, I’d like to leave you with one final request: Don’t let anyone tell you this is some kinda cable news-fueled political circus act.

If you choose to propagate Fox News-esque baloney about my fellow Deere employees being “lazy” millennials with no work ethic, then you’re no friend of mine.

This is about treating honest, hardworking people with dignity. Even the coldest, most diehard capitalist should be able to see that.

This post isn’t a liberal diatribe. It’s my sincere expression of immense disappointment toward the company I’ve dedicated over five years of my life to.

Thanks for reading. Support the strike. Support fair wages and compensation. Support those that literally put their lives on the line to keep the agricultural industry alive. Pass it on.