CEDAR FALLS - The recent retirement of Jerry Northey as president of Waterloo's largest union local was only half of the story, as United Auto Workers Local 838 also bid adieu to another retiring leader, Mike McRoberts.

"I'm just relaxing now," said the 54-year-old McRoberts, a longtime Local 838 shop chairman for John Deere's Westfield Avenue site, foundry and Product Engineering Center in Cedar Falls, who, like Northey, entered retirement July 31 after 36 years at Deere.

McRoberts, who grew up in Greene, went to work for Deere right out of high school.

"My dad worked for White Farm Equipment and was also a union official," McRoberts said. "He told me he thought Deere was a better option than White."

Indeed, McRoberts said his father gave him a sort of ultimatum:

"He said I could go to work for Deere or go to the service," McRoberts said. "I'm glad he pushed me the way he did."

Almost from the beginning, McRoberts played a leadership role in the union, starting as a shop steward in 1979 and serving in that capacity until 1990, when he was elected full-time committeeman.

In May 2000, he was named shop chairman, succeeding Dennis Kinard, who moved higher up the UAW ladder, to a regional director position in Chicago.

"I had some good friends ahead of me, and they really helped me out," McRoberts said.

It can be a difficult job, especially when contract negotiations roll around, McRoberts said. But, he added, working at Deere helped.

"There was two ways to go about the struggle: One was the way Caterpiller did it, with striking and trying to break the union," McRoberts said. "The other way was Deere working with the union and trying to grow on both sides. Ken Huhn, (former vice president of industrial relations at Deere), I believe, gets a lot of credit. I always had a lot of respect for him."

Not that the job was easy. Indeed, McRoberts said he faced his share of challenges as a union steward.

"I'd say probably the toughest challenge was in the '97 bargaining, when we went to the two-tier pay system," he said. "That was a tough pill to swallow. I didn't like any part of it."

The negotiations bore some positive fruit, however, expanding the Deere work force in the long run, he said. "He played a big role in our bargaining."

"Obviously, as chairman, he went through a few rounds of bargaining," said Paul Jungen, the local's first vice president.

McRoberts also exuded a teamwork approach with his union mates, Jungen said.

"He always tried to bring his shop committee along and encouraged them to kind of do it their way, but he also tried to shed his light of experience on them and give his experience and opinions and set back and let them do it their way," Jungen said. "Obviously, he was always active in his career, moving upwards."

And, Jungen said, McRoberts was a ready resource.

"He was more than willing to jump in when asked," he said. "The best way to learn is get in there and do it yourself. If you had a question and needed advice, he was there."

A lot of people went to him for advice, Jungen said.

"He always had facts," he said. "He kept good notes, kept good records. When required to do some research, he knew what he had."

Tim Niedert, 36, who took over as shop chairman when McRoberts retired, agreed.

"He's always been a good teacher," Niedert said. "In the three years I worked with Mike, he was always willing to guide you in the right direction. He wanted you to learn how to find the answers, so he'd point to the right direction."

For McRoberts, the new direction in life is a more relaxed pace, with his wife, Vanda, and daughters Jessie, who is an accountant, and Mikka, a business major at the University of Northern Iowa.

"A good friend said you need to take a year to relax," he said. "That's what I'm headed for."

Contact Jim Offner at (319) 291-1598 or jim.offner@wcfcourier.com.