A Nov. 4 survey of John Deere dealers on the labor strike at John Deere production facilities drew a number of write-in responses from green dealers. Below are all 17 write-in responses collected from the survey that was open for 24 hours.

“John Deere shareholders and profits are first. Employees and dealers are way down the line.”

“I have not followed the details of the strike. But UAW leaders need to get their members to go back to work.”

“This is trying to set a precedent for other unions in the industry and the country. I feel the unions will dig in hard so that this will help unions across the country get more from the companies. Will only increase prices to customers and ship more production overseas. Disappointing. Would rather see commitments made to infrastructure in North America to secure jobs for the long term.”

“In an already tight supply chain, the biggest impact thus far is the compounding of wholegoods orders in 2021/22 being pushed back directly due to strike impacts.”

“I could see how employees would feel with the record profits and executives’ salaries that they should be deserving of more. However, the roles that each person plays within a company differ and the expectations that are placed upon them. So, it's a tough situation when trying to look through the lenses from each person's side of it. No different than how dealers may even feel about these same items. It's also difficult to understand what is the root cause of any of the shortages of parts or products, as the pandemic has caused a lot of unusual things to happen over the course of last 2 years. Whether we can say how much this strike has compounded the situation is yet to be determine in the months or year ahead. Hopefully it will be resolved soon and then we can concentrate on the supply chain issues and providing goods to all dealers on an equity basis, so it's shared with all involved.”

“The last offer from Deere seems in good faith to me. I believe workers are much closer to coming back to work. As far as delays on equipment, I think it will definitely hurt 2022 for the products and components affected by this strike.”

“Labor is not the limiting factor in current situation; the supply chain problems and component shortages are the problem. Deere is not perfect but has done their best to manage through really challenging times and treat everyone involved fairly. The company has posted extreme profits for the recent year based on price increases and no discounts that will not sustain. The next year be very challenging with increased supply costs and inability to produce products with the supply shortage. If anyone has been watching input prices for farmers in 2022, farm income is going to be down significantly which will decrease demand for equipment that is inflating at unsustainable rates. It would be advisable for everyone involved to come up with sustainable solutions.”

“The longer the strike continues, the greater the issues surrounding the strike will become. I trust Deere to make the right decisions.”

“I think the Deere employees don't realize just how good they have it and might be asking for more than they should.”

“I am not a supporter of the UAW but in this case, I think that Deere should agree with their demands. The company can easily afford to pay for the new labor agreement.”

“Deere is doing quite well financially these days and could afford to ‘sweeten the pot’ a bit now; the problem is that if Deere becomes a way less profitable there is no way the workers would agree to a pay cut to offset. This a like a ratchet strap that can only ever be tightened, never loosened.”

“Share some of the wealth; we have had to do that to keep our employees over the last few years! The last strike lasted for almost 6 months back in 1986. Not sure how us dealers are going to fare through this if it doesn't soon come to an end; loss of income and employees.”

“Strike is not holding up parts — the COVID problem is ... need to get dock workers and truck drivers back going.”

“John Deere should hold their ground.”

“Get it figured out ASAP. You’ve shown record profits and are passing on unprecedented price increases on top of it. Not saying the employees aren’t being somewhat unreasonable, but very satisfied employees on the line mean better quality and increased production.”

I have not looked at what the UAW and workers are asking for, however, I understand there have been concessions made by John Deere. This will, and can, be a very serious problem in this environment we are in. Our workers are very high paid, and they do not have the risk the company has. I am on the company’s side.

“Bad Business.”

The table below were the results of the question that most accurately reflects their position on the situation.

Which of the Statements Below Most Closely Align with Your Sentiments on the John Deere Strike?

Click here to see the charts/tables from the John Deere Dealer survey results on impact and outlook.

Click here to see the timeline of the situation since Aug. 17.