The Nation : Deere Closes 11 Factories

Deere & Co. announced that it was shutting down production at 11 factories because of a strike by union workers at three other plants. But UAW officials instructed the 7,700 workers not on strike to report for work today, raising the possibility of a confrontation with the Moline, Ill.-based farm implement manufacturer. The strike by 4,300 United Auto Workers at a parts distribution center in Milan, Ill., and at plants in Waterloo and Dubuque, Iowa, began Saturday after their contract expired. A UAW spokesman said the major issues are job security and cost-of-living benefits.