John Deere spent the previous few months feeding traces about supposed nice pay and advantages whereas 10,000 plant employees went on strike for 5 weeks. Now that it’s reached a contract settlement with the union, it will probably breathe straightforward and release the profits! $6 billion thus far, with $7 billion on the end-of-year horizon. That’s already double its earnings from final yr. Some of that’s from charging farmers a premium for its proprietary substitute components. Some of it’s from not paying employees just a little extra out of that comfy surplus.

The ultimate union-approved contract, near Deere’s previous “best and final offer,” grants 10% pay raises in 2021 and 20% raises total in 4 years. That sounds nice, till you be taught {that a} 10% improve might imply pay bumps of less than $4,000 for some longtime employees. John Deere has stated that, on common, staff already made round $60,000; labor reporter Jonah Furman has said that’s simply an alternate actuality, factoring in recurring, months-long unpaid layoffs.

Employees can supposedly get to an honest wage with performance-based raises, however these aren’t assured, Furman says, since they’re contingent on the entire division assembly 115% of its ever-increasing quota.

In a press launch about John Deere’s 2021 financials, Chairman and CEO John C. May stated the contract represents “our ongoing commitment to delivering best-in-class wages and benefits.” This is true, for him: The firm gave him an over 150% raise final yr to $15.5 million.

For everybody else, we all know that 1000’s of employees solely strike when issues are so egregious that shedding a month and a half of pay and placing your revenue on the road appears like the best choice in your future.

Gizmodo was unable to achieve John Deere for remark. We’ll replace the put up if we hear again.