Harley Davidson Workers on Strike
Guess I'll have to wait for my new one, don't want one built while their pissed.
Feb. 2, 2007, 1:48AM
Union strikes at Harley-Davidson plant in Pennsylvania; factory halts motorcycle production
Associated Press
YORK, Pa. - Union workers began a strike against Harley-Davidson Inc. at midnight today, picketing at the company's largest manufacturing plant.
More than 50 workers gathered at the main gate of the company's York facilities as the strike began, said Tom Boger, a union representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175.
Boger said the company installed cement barricades to block access to all gates, even empty parking lots.
The strike comes two days after unionized workers rejected the company's contract offer and authorized a walkout.
In anticipation of the strike, the company shut down production at the plant on Thursday.
"We are obviously disappointed by the union's decision," Fred Gates, general manager of Harley-Davidson's York operations, said in a statement Thursday. "The proposed contract was structured to help manage future costs that could be detrimental to our business over the long term."
The statement also announced the suspension of production of the company's Touring and Softail motorcycles.
The company said its proposal included annual wage increases of 4 percent over three years. But part of the increase depended on the union agreeing to contribute toward health insurance coverage; unionized employees currently pay no premium. It also would have doubled the company's 401(k) retirement plan contributions and created a two-tier wage system under which new hires would be paid less than current ones.
Boger said the union was prepared to return to negotiations.
"We'll wait for the company to call us," he said.
The facility employs more than 3,200 union and nonunion workers.
Feb. 2, 2007, 1:48AM
Union strikes at Harley-Davidson plant in Pennsylvania; factory halts motorcycle production
Associated Press
YORK, Pa. - Union workers began a strike against Harley-Davidson Inc. at midnight today, picketing at the company's largest manufacturing plant.
More than 50 workers gathered at the main gate of the company's York facilities as the strike began, said Tom Boger, a union representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175.
Boger said the company installed cement barricades to block access to all gates, even empty parking lots.
The strike comes two days after unionized workers rejected the company's contract offer and authorized a walkout.
In anticipation of the strike, the company shut down production at the plant on Thursday.
"We are obviously disappointed by the union's decision," Fred Gates, general manager of Harley-Davidson's York operations, said in a statement Thursday. "The proposed contract was structured to help manage future costs that could be detrimental to our business over the long term."
The statement also announced the suspension of production of the company's Touring and Softail motorcycles.
The company said its proposal included annual wage increases of 4 percent over three years. But part of the increase depended on the union agreeing to contribute toward health insurance coverage; unionized employees currently pay no premium. It also would have doubled the company's 401(k) retirement plan contributions and created a two-tier wage system under which new hires would be paid less than current ones.
Boger said the union was prepared to return to negotiations.
"We'll wait for the company to call us," he said.
The facility employs more than 3,200 union and nonunion workers.
0
-
But the Lorcins aren't outselling all the other brands of firearms, either. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by meunke
"The company said its proposal included annual wage increases of 4 percent over three years."
Wow, must be nice to have a guaranteed raise.
Where I work I have this horribly oppresive, almost Nazi like rule that I have to, you know, meet / exceed expectations for my current position before I get ANY kind of raise.
Yeah, getting back to the story here, did anybody think that deal looks so bad? When our union negotiates 4% raises annually, that's like hitting the homerun! We almost couldn't expect any more. We're actually lucky to get anything half the time. Our last contract involved us paying half of our own share into the pension system and it was still considered a success.
I don't mind seeing unions fight for their workers but at what point are they getting overly greedy? Maybe they know more about HDs profits than I do? Why do workers always want to kill the goose laying the golden egg and force these places into bankruptcy? No such thing as being thankful any more, I guess.0 -
quote:Originally posted by rd400racer
I come to this forum because I enjoy firearms but am hardly an expert
on them. I have found the advice of most members here to be
invaluable on the recent purchases I have made (and a couple that I
didn't make). But motorcycles is a subject that I would humbly say
I am an expert on. I have been riding for 37 years, have owned over
100 bikes and I am an ex AMA roadracer that has tasted the high
banks at Daytona at 175 mph+. But I must admit I have always been
completely confused with this countries obsession with Harley
Davidson motorcycles. They are slow, don't handle well and until
recently were totally unreliable. Yeah, they do hold their value
well. But I have as yet to own a motorcycle for it's resale value.
I'm an ex union man, an ex serviceman and try to buy products made
in the US of A whenever possible. But when I spend my hard earned
money I want a product that performs and I don't think Harley
delivers. Hey, if you want to ride around to be seen, go right to
your nearest dealer and bring your wheelbarrow load of cash with
you. Don't get me wrong, I am hardly cheap when it comes to my
machines (the Ducati currently in my garage is proof of that). But
in the same way that we want our firearms to perform, I also expect
that in the motorcycle I ride, and all of the Harley's I have been
on failed to live up to what a bike should do.
Dont get me wrong. I don't own a Harley because of its resale value. I'm just talking in terms of price versus that of a car which will depreciate faster. I don't look down on anyone that owns a metric motorcycle. I think there are some GREAT metric motorcycles out there and the overall quality of motorcycles being sold has risen across the board for the most part. My first was a Honda. Good motorcycle.
Why a Harley for me? Personally, street creds carry a lot of weight with me. I've never met a Harley owner that didn't like his motorcycle and I've met few people more passionate about riding in general than Harley owners. I'm speaking anecdotally. I'm not saying that HD owners are the only ones passionate about riding. HD threads usually spark up controversy and I know there's some jap-crap P*ssy boy out there that's going to whine about my thread. [:D]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTSB13uxUTY0 -
quote:But part of the increase depended on the union agreeing to contribute toward health insurance coverage; unionized employees currently pay no premium. It also would have doubled the company's 401(k) retirement plan contributions ...
Granted that 4% over 3 years isn't a big increase it's still a guaranteed increase.
Assuming the company statement is true I'm having a hard time understanding why they walked.0 -
I bought a new Sportster in 1968,put in in the basement with a cover over it in the 70s and sold it in 1998 for almost 3 times what it cost new. 0 -
The two tiered wage plan really stinks. The new people have to work just as hard & make less. The old people get massive pressure to make them want to quit. It pits both groups against each other & makes for a terrible work enviorment. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by sig232
Harleys tend to be about the most reliable bike on the road nowdays.
That why you see more of them on trailers than on the road?
After 100K on an engine you simply send the engine back to the factory and it is remfg and reinstalled back in your bike and you are off for another 100K. All for 5K or so.
I'd rather buy something that's just getting broken in at 100k, like a BMW.[8D]0 -
"But the Lorcins aren't outselling all the other brands of firearms, either."
Wouldn't change anything if they were. If everyone bought a Lorcin, they would still be sub par firearms.
The reason they hardly sell is that people look at PERFORMANCE when they look at pistols, not just if it looks like a gun from a movie, or was used by some famous person, or just that it is covered in chrome and is really, really loud.0 -
The Unions are fighting their last fights.
I'm in a Union and work for the Govt.. It takes two weeks paychecks every month to pay my health insurance. It isn't good healthcare coverage to boot. So half of my annual pay goes to paying premiums on healthcare coverage. I have no dental plan....what they want for that I might as well pay cash.0 -
"Yeah, getting back to the story here, did anybody think that deal looks so bad?"
- No that's actually a really good deal, as far as I can see.
Here's the thing. It seems to me that there is a lot of duplicity that goes on with factory jobs. Taking a hypothetical example, if HD laid off a lot of its workforce and sent the jobs to Mexico, all hell would be raised by unions and common people alike. It would be huge news with lots of teary-eyed interviews. But when a major software company lays off a lot of people and sends the jobs to Thailand, there really isn't much coverage and a lot of people simply shrug and say something along the lines of "Well, them 'puter people should learn a more secure trade."
Some of you may not see this, but I see it a lot.
One of the reason, of course, is unions. Unions raise hell, get coverage and have political clout. Software companies don't, which is still a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
The reason I bring this us is that some people get mad when I just shrug and don't care too much when factories get closed and shipped overseas. The way I look at it is this: When people start getting upset when workers besides those in factories lose their jobs, then I'll start caring about them.
When the flag waving people that shout "Buy 'Made in the USA'!" start getting p*ssed when tech and other jobs get shipped to India, then maybe I'll join your ranks.
Sorry for the rant, but that's been eatin' at me for a while.
In the meantime, I'm just going to keep trying to get my business off the ground so I don't have to worry if the Tech industry here in the US collapses.0 -
I am in a union and have been a part of negociations in the past for our local. We have, over the last nine years, increased our wages by over 24% total. If it is one thing I have learned about people is this...no amount of money is good enough for a group...but you break that group down and talk one on one with no one else around and they will settle for half of what you got for them. I am baffled by the greed that comes up during negociations. We are the top paid people in our region and have the best benifits...which cost me only 130 a month for my whole family. Our benifits are so good that every care provider comments on how good our coverage is. The truth is we can not continue this path...we came so close to striking this past round...over wages...I am sorry but I don't believe that was a good reason to strike. We are going to have to stop or we are going to vote ourselves right out of a job! Wake up union leaders...your driving your workers out of their jobs by the "Group Greed" monster. 0 -
But how about the greed on the other side of the table? First the CEO of Home Depot gets $210 million for doing a lousy job & now two other
"leaders" of Home Depot are each given $20 million dollar golden parachutes. Kind of hard to blame the poor hourly employees when you see that kind of thing going on.0 -
quote:Originally posted by T1jetmech
I am in a union and have been a part of negociations in the past for our local. We have, over the last nine years, increased our wages by over 24% total. If it is one thing I have learned about people is this...no amount of money is good enough for a group...but you break that group down and talk one on one with no one else around and they will settle for half of what you got for them. I am baffled by the greed that comes up during negociations. We are the top paid people in our region and have the best benifits...which cost me only 130 a month for my whole family. Our benifits are so good that every care provider comments on how good our coverage is. The truth is we can not continue this path...we came so close to striking this past round...over wages...I am sorry but I don't believe that was a good reason to strike. We are going to have to stop or we are going to vote ourselves right out of a job! Wake up union leaders...your driving your workers out of their jobs by the "Group Greed" monster.
Thank you jetmech. The inside scoop on unions. It is exactly what I had thought.
Y'all union defenders ought to google up the demise of Eastern Airlines and see how a greedy and short sighted union can destroy a company.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
43 comments