David Swenson, research scientist, recently had an interview with Art Cullen, Storm Lake Times, about why Iowa’s labor supply shrank more than the nation during the pandemic.
Swenson was also quoted in an Oct. 11 story in The Pantagraph, "Union workers: Deere needs to show us 'we're part of this family.'"
Dave Swenson, an economist at Iowa State University, said it is unusual that workers have bargaining power during a recession. Workers in the agricultural sector have an increased advantage, as the sector saw extraordinary gains due to an influx of government subsidies, Swenson said.
“In terms of the positions of strength, you could also argue that Deere cannot afford to pass up what looks like is going to be a very, very strong sales year,” Swenson said. Swenson said if there is a strike, the local economies affected may experience a downturn because the striking workers won't have their full incomes. For Deere, production could be curtailed and that would have “a substantial impact on Deere's profitability over the next few quarters, if not the whole year.”
Swenson was interviewed by Barb Ickes, Cara Smith, Quad City Times; Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch; and Josh Funk, Associated Press; Courtenay Brown, Axios; and Nick Mitrovich, News Nation about the economic impact of the strike at John Deere, the Quad Cities’ industrial mix and why a Deere strike may affect the area economy more than would be the case in other Midwestern cities, and why workers have a strong bargaining position. He was also interviewed in the following stories:
Pennlive.com
Washington Times
The Buffalo News
Fox8
CNBC
The Denver Post
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Portland Press Herald
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Florida News Times
The Washington Newsday
Naked Capitalism
The Journal Gazette
Finance & Commerce
ArkansasOnline.com
The BL
Yahoo News
Sioux City Journal
Agrinews
Swenson also recorded an interview with Amanda Rooker, KCCI, on the proliferation of sports complexes among the Des Moines/West Des Moines suburbs.