Harley-Davidson Workers In York, PA Approve Contract

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/12479

Submitted by Doug Cunningham on December 2, 2009 - 5:21pm
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Workers at a Harley-Davidson plant in York, Pennsylvania have approved a contract. The seven-year contract is intended to assure that the plant will remain open in city and not move to Kentucky. Instead the company has suggested it will slash nearly half of the 1900 employee workforce. Additionally, workers who keep their jobs will have their wages and benefits frozen. The company also pledged to invest millions of dollars upgrading the plant.

[DainBramaged]

1. 900 jobs lost, wages frozen for 7 years............

I think HD got what they wanted and the threat to move to Kentucky was hollow. Watch the quality of the bikes drop substantially for quite a while.....


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-D3sh_VzweWw6TMqEJ5sNbj8lLAD9CC512O0


Thursday's decision came 24 hours after unionized workers at the York plant approved a contract that included concessions such as wage freezes, increased employee health insurance contributions and reduced vacation days. It brings to a close a process that began in May when the company said it would look to relocate a plant that is too inefficient and costly in light of steep sales declines.

Harley shares fell 95 cents, or 3.2 percent, to close at $28.62. Its shares have traded in a 52-week range of $7.99 to $30.

The company, based in Milwaukee, said the changes approved Thursday will cost approximately $200 million over three years, plus about $90 million in capital improvements at the York plant. But the savings should come to $100 million a year, it said.

As Harley sought union concessions, company officials visited sites in Kentucky, Tennessee and a couple other states in recent months to scout other potential locations for a new plant. A site in Shelbyville, Ky., had emerged as the favored alternative.

To encourage Harley-Davidson to stay, Rendell offered about $15 million in incentives while union negotiators agreed to a contract that workers viewed with distaste, but approved anyway.

"There are no jobs out there. I need my job," worker Joe Sinclair told the York Dispatch after the vote.

Harley said the smaller work force it envisions after the layoffs will be more flexible and correspond to a streamlined operation. Once finished, it expects to have about 1,000 hourly employees, including 700 to 800 full-time production and maintenance workers and 200 to 300 on-call employees.

Another 120 of the 270 management employees will be laid off, Harley said.

[DainBramaged]

2. And DU AS FUCKING USUAL, has no comment....

When they come and take your jobs and send them overseas, don't bitch here......

[Craftsman]

3. Whether you like it or not toys aren't selling

My brother rides and several of his iker buddies are selling their prized hogs, to make mortgage payments and put food on the table. Add insult to injury it is now very hard to get finacing on a new bike and sales are down sharply.