CNH Industrial isn’t just another faceless corporation churning out tractors and diggers for the world’s farms and construction sites. No, this behemoth, born from the merger of Fiat Industrial and CNH Global back in 2013, is a goddamn machine of exploitation, corruption, and environmental fuckery that’s left a trail of broken workers, defrauded dealers, and polluted air in its wake. And get this: they’ve got historic links to our less-than-friendly friends at Cummins, the engine giant with its own laundry list of scandals regularly being dissected by TCAP, making CNH just another tainted cog in the Cummins ecosystem. Sure, their relationship dates back to joint ventures like Consolidated Diesel Corp, which wrapped up in 2008 when Cummins bought out CNH’s stake. For years, CNH stuffed Cummins engines into their Case IH tractors and other gear, powering everything from massive harvesters to loaders until around 2011, when they shifted to their own FPT engines. But that history lingers like a bad smell, linking CNH to the same web of emissions dodges and corporate greed that plagues Cummins. It’s not ancient history – it’s the foundation of how these companies operate, prioritising profits over people and the planet.

You think farming and building are wholesome industries? Think again. CNH Industrial, with its glossy brands like Case IH and New Holland, parades as an innovator, but peel back the layers and you’ll find a core rotten with labour abuses, legal dodges, and outright criminality. I’m pissed off just thinking about it – these bastards rake in billions while screwing over the very folks who keep the world fed and built. Let’s dive into the muck, shall we?

The Worker Betrayal: Layoffs, Strikes, and Executive Gluttony

Fuck me, where do I start with the human cost? In 2024 and 2025, CNH Industrial announced wave after wave of layoffs, gutting American factories while shipping jobs to Mexico for cheaper labour. Over 200 workers at the Racine, Wisconsin plant got the boot in April 2024, with plans to slash the workforce down to a skeleton crew by 2026. Then came nearly 200 more in Fargo, North Dakota in March 2025, and 175 permanent cuts at Benson, Minnesota in April 2025. All this while the company boasted record profits and splashed $652 million on stock buybacks to fatten shareholder pockets. Senator Tammy Baldwin called them out, questioning if CNH even bothered notifying Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development properly, potentially robbing workers of vital support.

And the executives? CEO Scott Wine pocketed $18 million in the last financial year, $22 million in 2022, and a staggering $44 million in 2021 – that’s nearly 350 times what the average union worker earns at $52,000 a year. The sheer audacity boils my blood. This came on the heels of a brutal 260-day strike by over 1,000 workers in Iowa and Wisconsin from 2022 to 2023, fighting for fair contracts. Even Bernie Sanders weighed in, rallying support against CNH’s stonewalling.

It didn’t stop at the US borders. In May 2024, more than 500 workers at the Basildon, UK New Holland tractor plant downed tools over a broken promise for a 7.4% pay rise. The strike was suspended for a ballot on a revised offer, but it highlights the global pattern: CNH treats its workforce like disposable parts, replaceable cogs in their profit machine. Critics from outlets like the World Socialist Web Site hammered them for prioritising shareholder returns and Wine’s obscene pay amid mergers and job cuts. Gerrit Marx took over as CEO in 2024, but don’t hold your breath for change – the rot runs deep.

Product Failures and Legal Nightmares: Defective Gear and Crushed Lives

CNH’s equipment isn’t just unreliable – it’s allegedly dangerous, leading to a slew of lawsuits that expose their corner-cutting. Take the 2019 class action against CNH Industrial America, alleging they knowingly sold flawed cotton picker-balers with design defects causing breakdowns. Farmers poured money into machines that failed, and CNH did jack shit about it.

Then there’s the misrepresentation scandals. In 2021’s BIEDA v. CNH Industrial America LLC, plaintiffs claimed CNH lied about a planter’s condition, peddling defective kit. Worse, in the 2023 CHURCH v. CNH Industrial America LLC case, a mechanic was crushed repairing a CNH skid steer – the court slapped down CNH’s attempt to blame the victim. And as of 2024, Miller v. CNH Industrial America rumbles on in the Tenth Circuit, another personal injury suit highlighting alleged negligence.

These aren’t isolated incidents. CNH’s history is littered with product liability claims, from older Cummins-powered tractors to current models. It’s outrageous – these machines are meant to build and harvest, not maim and bankrupt.

Financial Filth: Cartels, Kickbacks, and Fraud Rings

If the worker exploitation doesn’t make you spit, the financial scandals will. Back in 2011-2016, CNH’s Iveco subsidiary got slapped with a 495 million euro fine by the EU for price-fixing in a truck cartel alongside MAN, Daimler, Volvo, and DAF. They colluded for 14 years, jacking up prices and delaying cleaner emissions tech. Executives held secret meetings, admitting guilt for lighter penalties. That’s straight-up robbery from customers.

Go further back to the U.N. Oil for Food Program from 2000-2003. CNH Global subsidiaries, including Case France and New Holland, allegedly facilitated $4.3 million in kickbacks to Iraqi officials on humanitarian goods. They inflated contracts by 10-15%, diverting funds meant for aid. Specifics? Case France coughed up $187,720 on construction gear, New Holland $447,116 on tractors, with armed officials demanding payments. The SEC charged Fiat and CNH Global – a damning stain on their ethics.

More recently, in 2016, CNH faced antitrust suits for fraud and conspiracy in dealer financing, unlawfully terminating a New Holland dealer. A fabricated lawsuit press release that year forced CNH to investigate its origins. And in 2025, reports surfaced of a credit fraud ring targeting CNH, with altered checks like one bumped from $1,800 to $30,000. Even a dealer CEO was jailed in 2021 for defrauding CNH of $1.5 million in equipment sales.

It’s a web of deceit, with CNH at the centre, allegedly prioritising shady deals over integrity.

Environmental Evasions and Regulatory Dodges

CNH’s greenwashing is laughable – they tout sustainability while dodging regulations. In 2020, authorities raided Fiat-Chrysler and CNH offices over emissions defeat devices in engine software for Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, and Iveco vehicles, affecting up to 200,000 units. Both under the Agnelli family’s Exor umbrella, they cooperated, but it reeks of systematic cheating.

In 2025, CNH halted farm equipment shipments from North American and European plants to mull U.S. tariffs, amid a 34% production cut in Q4 2024. Parts kept flowing, but it shows their vulnerability to policy shifts, often at the expense of stability.

Rumours of sudden plant shutdowns in Racine and Fargo circulated on YouTube in 2025, sparking misinformation debates. While unverified, it underscores the chaos CNH breeds.

Geopolitical Grime: Enabling Occupation and Exploitation

CNH’s ethical lapses go global. From 2012 onward, their equipment – like EX355 excavators – has allegedly been used in West Bank settlements, building industrial zones, the Separation Wall, and demolishing homes in South Hebron Hills, per Who Profits reports. As owners of Case New Holland Industrial Inc., they’re complicit in controversial activities.

Tied to the Agnelli family through Exor, CNH shares in broader scandals, from emissions raids to price-fixing. Former chairman Sergio Marchionne, who died in 2018, oversaw the 2013 merger amid Fiat’s troubles.

The Cummins Connection: A Nod to Shared Shame

As mentioned, CNH’s entanglement with Cummins runs deep – joint ventures until 2008, engines in equipment until 2011. Even if they’ve pivoted to FPT, that legacy positions CNH as part of the Cummins world, where controversies abound (as TCAP has exhaustively covered, no need to rehash here). It’s a reminder that these corporate empires are interconnected, amplifying each other’s sins.

In the end, CNH Industrial isn’t an outlier – it’s the norm in a system that values dollars over decency. They’ve got anti-corruption policies and sustainability nods, but actions speak louder. This company deserves scrutiny, outrage, and reform. Until then, the rot festers.

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project

Customer Corner : CNH Industrial’s Dirty Legacy