Davenport (and the Quad cities) was where all the folks went for factory jobs when the coal mines closed in Iowa.
We had a huge Farmall plant in Rock Island, IL (one of the Quad Cities) that closed back in the 80’s because the unions here squeezed them to death. Hundreds of workers ended up unemployed from that fiasco.
The union mentality here is this - keep raising union wages and benefits with no regard for the business climate or whether or not the company can actually afford it. If the workers end up losing their jobs, tough sh*t - we stood up to management on your behalf. Yay!
That’s why we lost Farmall and a number of other union-run plants over the years, including a recent one that closed up 6 months ago becuase the union workers there refused to take a pay cut. Another 60-70 people now unemployed. I wonder if they’re satisfied with their decision.