A 56-year-old United Auto Workers (UAW) member was struck and killed by a car Wednesday morning in Milan, Illinois. The man was walking towards a picket line near the John Deere Parts Distribution Center warehouse where UAW Local 79 workers have been on strike. According to the Des Moines Register, the crash occurred at around 6:02 AM—right around the time picketing teams change shifts.
Milan Police Chief Shawn Johnson told the newspaper that the driver appears not to have committed a traffic violation. Illinois law only gives pedestrians the right of way while crossing a street if they walk in the middle of a crosswalk. The intersection of Rock Island-Milan Parkway and Deere Drive where the man was killed lacks crosswalks and sidewalks and is considered an industrial area not suitable for pedestrians, according to Johnson.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our brother who was reporting to the picket line,” UAW Region 4 Director Ron McInroy said in a statement. “Our brother was fighting for what is right and we all mourn for his family and co-workers. Through our tears, we continue to picket and honor the solidarity of our fallen brother. But we do this with heavy hearts today.”
Picketing has been halted and the UAW flag will fly at half-mast to honor the man, who was a 15-year veteran at Deere PDC just one town over in Moline. Around 10,000 UAW members at 12 John Deere facilities across the country are on strike, with a majority of employees located in Iowa and Illinois. The workers began striking at midnight Oct. 14 after rejecting a proposed contract that would reportedly end pension availability for new hires and require a switch to a “Choice Plus “ plan many workers complained lacked sufficient information to be adopted, according to Labor Notes. Workers also expressed frustration at what they deemed inadequate wage increases.
UAW members on strike have the support of other unions like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). A GoFundMe to support striking UAW workers raised more than $130,000—far exceeding its $100,000 goal.
According to Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), which launched the fundraiser, “any leftover funds in this GoFundMe account after the end of the strike will be set aside by UAWD exclusively for the purpose of supporting future UAW workers on strike.” The UAWD is composed of UAW members committed to making a more equitable union through direct elections and other reforms.
It’s unclear when John Deere leadership will next sit down with UAW members for contract negotiations. The last time UAW members at John Deere went on strike was in 1986. The strike lasted for 163 days and saw record losses for the agriculture machinery manufacturer. John Deere lost $139.7 million in the last quarter of 1986, which the company attributed to the strike, according to the Globe and Mail. The loss was John Deere’s first since the Great Depression.
Being that it’s #Striketober, I’m curious: Have y’all been part of a strike before?