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posted February 01, 2007 09:52 AM
HARLEY-DAVIDSON DISAPPOINTED WITH UNION VOTE
Harley-Davidson Motor Company expressed disappointment at the union vote yesterday that rejected a proposed new collective bargaining agreement for employees and authorized a strike at its final assembly operations in York, Pa. A strike at the facility is expected to occur as early as 12:01 a.m. February 2, when the current contract expires.
As a result of the pending strike, production of Touring and Softail motorcycles at Harley-Davidson's operations in York has been suspended.
"We are obviously disappointed by the union's decision," said Fred Gates, General Manager of Harley-Davidson's operations in York. "The proposed contract was structured to help manage future costs that could be detrimental to our business over the long term," Gates said. "While Harley-Davidson is a strong company today, we don't want to find ourselves in ten years in the same position that the Detroit auto industry is in now."
The proposed contract provided for a four percent wage increase in each of the three contract years. Two percent of the increase was dependent on the union accepting the Company's salaried health care plan or another plan that would save the Company an equal amount of money. The Company's union employees in York currently pay no premium for health insurance coverage and minimal out of pocket costs. The proposal would have doubled the Company's 401(k) contribution match and would have provided a special monthly retirement supplement for certain employees who retire during the contract period. The proposal also would have instituted a second-tier wage and benefit plan for new employees hired after February 2, 2007. For example, under the two-tier structure, new assembly worker hires would have earned $18.25 per hour in the first year of the contract, compared to $20.78 per hour for current assembly workers in the first year of the contract.
Harley-Davidson production employees in York are represented by International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 175.
Source: Harley-Davidson Motor Company
   
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stevewfl
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posted February 01, 2007 03:05 PM
Fire all the union workers and put the labor in Zimbabwe where blue color workers earn blue collar wages and benefits. Low labor costs keep our economu booming.
I'm not a Harley fan whatsoever. But hearing about this makes me want to rush out and purchase an uhh uhh uhh..... soft tail !
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 175.<---another greedy union that will cease to exist soon.
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stevewfl
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posted February 01, 2007 03:07 PM
I enjoy watching greedy unions fail, one union at a time. Textiles, outsourced. Steel, outsourced. Auto's and Harleys, ALMOST outsourced hehehe
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Tool man
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posted February 01, 2007 04:56 PM
 Edited By: Tool man on 1 Feb 2007 16:58
Yano... just today I saw in the paper that GWB was concerned about the pay divisions between workers and upper management, while on a tour of a Caterpiller plant.
I am not a pro union guy, BUT I am a pro worker guy being one myself.
I have seen a lot of work in my field "outsourced" to China and other third world countries.
Now this may do wonders for a companys bottom line, but it does not do much to put gas in my tank.
A country, any country must produce wealth in one of three ways. Mining, Food or Manufacturing. Any other way is just shuffling it around from one pocket to the other !!
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stevewfl
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posted February 01, 2007 09:15 PM
I don't agree. The reason unemployment is so low today is we are having the blue-collar work done so cheaply in 96% of our core industries.
Example:
In the old days textiles were moved from new england to North Carolina. people in new england were MAD, but the rest of the nation was happy because prices got so low. Now the textiles have been moved oberseas, and our prices are even low. Sure the union folks specific to NC are mad.
Because consumer goods are so CHEAP (low overseas labor), our economy prospers as a result of consumers having more buying power. The buying power keeps the goods and services flowing, from the truck drivers that deliver to the truck repairmen that keep the trucks running, everyone prospers. Except the few union workers that are pissed.
Now, Harley had a decision. Pay unfair wages and benefits, or not.
Harley (IMO) did the VERY RIGHT THING. They told the workers that voted to strike against them
And now maybe Harley can find fair labor prices elsewhere and compete against others on pricing.
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stevewfl
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posted February 01, 2007 09:17 PM
And trillions more Harleys sold as a result of lower labor prices will benefit everyone in America - except the few factory union workers that lost there jobs to Zimbabwe.
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Tool man
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posted February 01, 2007 10:11 PM
Well I guess I should just become a Mortgage Broker and participate in the words biggest pyramid scam. 
Mark my words... We will (this country) all be broke shortly and our service economy will be serving China :Finger
Stick that in your $39 DVD player 
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stevewfl
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posted February 01, 2007 10:28 PM
quote:
Well I guess I should just become a Mortgage Broker and participate in the words biggest pyramid scam.
Mark my words... We will (this country) all be broke shortly and our service economy will be serving China :Finger
Stick that in your $39 DVD player
LoL ok Tool Man, but thats the only place I'll stick it 
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GUNNER
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posted February 01, 2007 10:44 PM
quote:
Well I guess I should just become a Mortgage Broker and participate in the words biggest pyramid scam.
Mark my words... We will (this country) all be broke shortly and our service economy will be serving China :Finger
Stick that in your $39 DVD player
Toolman.............................I got to say that YOU'RE 110% CORRECT!!!!!!!!!!!!! The US economy is FUCKED 
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stevewfl
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posted February 01, 2007 10:50 PM
quote:
Toolman.............................I got to say that YOU'RE 110% CORRECT!!!!!!!!!!!!! The US economy is FUCKED
Going forward, or now? The US numbers now show lowest unemployement, high DOW and NASDAQ, and the countries gross domestic output at record levels. The national debt has been halved in the last 3 years (during war-time) 
It doesn't take an economics major to figure out what shape our economy is in
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CrotchRocket
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posted February 02, 2007 06:44 AM
I have a question...Both sides are suppose to give, what did HD put on the table for it's workers???
I know when it's contract time in NYC for it's civil servants, the City never gives to it's workers, the City always wants it's workers to give back more than what they're getting unfairly!!!...But of course it's always a fair deal according to the City...
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stevewfl
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posted February 02, 2007 07:09 AM
quote:
I have a question...Both sides are suppose to give, what did HD put on the table for it's workers???
A free economy is based on supply and demand rather than being nice. Our business supply and demand model applies to labor as well as goods. The HARLEY workers decided/voted they didn't want to work there per the wages Harley offered to pay. Harley locked the doors.
So good luck to Harley filling their open slots with labor willing to work at a fair wage/benefits than the ones they had.
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CrotchRocket
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posted February 02, 2007 07:15 AM
It's complete IGNORANCE on both sides!!!
Because both will lose $$$...Nobody really looks out for the well being of this Country and by the way it starts from the President...Thats why I dont vote!!! them!!!
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aliveagain
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posted February 02, 2007 08:28 AM
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/01/18/034398.html
Just another case where management does not want to share a piece of the pie.With electricity and fuel plus water going sky high,I wouldn't want to rely on the good generosity of management to help me sustain my level of living. After having been in many strikes,I will say locking out the union will have a long repercussion.Ill will and mistrust sets in everytime a strike goes on.If HDI doesn't respect the working man that makes the product it sells,how much company pride will these workers have when they finally settle?Mind you also of how much Harley wants to go water cooled but can't because of it's clientel 's preference for it's distinctive looks.Most of that core buyers group is blue collar union.
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Tool man
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posted February 02, 2007 04:07 PM
Yano... when Willie G bought back HD from AMF that company was in the toilet. I would not have bought a Hog if my life depended on it.
I was lucky to be gifted some HD stock in '89 just before it split for the first time. It then split a total of 5x in the '90s. It is not enough to retire on, but it is not pocket change either.
They were able to build and make VERY profitable a company that was otherwise dead in the water.
How did they do this ?
(1) Good marketing
(2) Good bussiness practice
(3) The management asked for and recieved many concessions from labor !!!
Quote:
Harley-Davidson has no business behaving like they're on the brink of bankruptcy," said Tom Buffenbarger, international president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). "When Harley was flat on its back in the 1980's, it was union members who refused to let it die. Harley went on to become an international success story but they've obviously forgotten how they got this far."
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TedG
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posted February 02, 2007 06:41 PM
Oh my, thank the unions for making concessions and getting paid more than the rest of the world. Aerospace workers? WTF? They need a scumbag union, scumbag engineering for scumbag motorcycles.
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aliveagain
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posted February 03, 2007 06:06 AM
This may also not be a bad call on Harley's part.I work at a college and we would never think of striking in the summer break time.Same with Harley,what a better time to slow down.Spring fever hasn't hit and the halting of production will curb the already saturated market. An artificially created demand market will raise the price on the bikes so the dealers will make more money,with a premium to boot.
Gees Ted,have a cup of coffee or something! 
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stevewfl
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posted February 03, 2007 06:16 AM
quote:
This may also not be a bad call on Harley's part.I work at a college and we would never think of striking in the summer break time.Same with Harley,what a better time to slow down.Spring fever hasn't hit and the halting of production will curb the already saturated market. An artificially created demand market will raise the price on the bikes so the dealers will make more money,with a premium to boot.
Gees Ted,have a cup of coffee or something!
halting of production???? they'll catch up and produce twice as many, twice the cost, twice the quality, and 1/20th of the price for labor by moving propduction OVERESEAS hehe
Go Harley!
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nabrxx
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posted February 03, 2007 09:32 AM
None of you guys think this will hurt Harleys rep?...As a union guy here in NYC I catch flack for riding a bike made in japan all the time from the pro-union..."I ride AMERICAN" riders...do you think they will keep thier Harleys if the company outsources?...Or will they wake up and buy the superior product made elsewhere...time will tell.
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Stalwart
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posted February 03, 2007 12:12 PM
Hell, more of a Harley is made overseas than a Honda Goldwing.
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stevewfl
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posted February 03, 2007 01:33 PM
quote:
Hell, more of a Harley is made overseas than a Honda Goldwing.
More will be soon
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