About 10,000 unionized workers at the agriculture equipment maker Deere & Company went on strike in the early hours of Thursday morning, saying that the company failed to present a contract proposal that met the United Auto Workers (UAW) union members’ “demands and needs.” “Our members at John Deere strike for the ability to earn a decent living, retire with dignity, and establish fair work rules,” Chuck Browning, vice president and director of the union’s agricultural department, said in a statement. “We stay committed to bargaining until our members’ goals are achieved.” The union had warned that its members would go on strike if a deal hadn’t been reached by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. The vast majority of the union rejected a contract offer earlier this week that would have delivered 5 percent raises to some workers and 6 percent raises to others. Workers pushed back against the proposed deal, …