Harley unions to vote on Wisconsin labor contract

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By DINESH RAMDE

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Harley-Davidson employees in Wisconsin are being asked to vote in favor of a labor contract that will freeze their pay, slash hundreds of jobs and hand large volumes of work to nonunion workers.

As bleak as the proposal sounds, employees may have little choice but to accept it. If they don't, Harley-Davidson Motor Co. has threatened to move its last two Wisconsin operations to another state, leaving about 1,350 employees out of work.

Employees are scheduled to vote on the proposed seven-year contract Monday. The results should be available by the evening.

The Milwaukee-based motorcycle company blames its hardball tactics on finances. It says labor costs at its Milwaukee and Tomahawk plants are too high and it only makes sense to keep them open if the workers agree to labor concessions.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HARLEY_DAVIDSON_CONTRACT?SITE=KVUE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

---

AP Photo/Morry Gash

---

Online:

Harley-Davidson: http://www.harley-davidson.com/

---

Dinesh Ramde can be reached at dramde(at)ap.org.

[DainBramaged]

1. Another race to the bottom

Why Unions NEED PR firms.

[boomerbust]

2. Harley proposal

7 year wage freeze and permission to hire temp workers which will earn exactly one half of permanent workers. Disgusting.

[molly77]

3. Guess I won't be buying a Harley after all.

[Kingofalldems]

4. K and R for the union

[electricD]

5. I wonder

, did any one ask the execs just exactly HOW much they're spending on advertising? Or HOW in the hell do they expect to be "competitive" with astronomical prices on their bikes and accessories?

I know that their motorcycles are fairly cheap up north but, down here in the south, I've seen price tags as high as some SUV's.

I swear, execs will give ANY reason they can to break the union, no matter how good the workmanship is.

fraternally
electricD
IBEW, L.U. 474

[Evasporque]

6. I suspect they won't agree to the consessions...

They will move anyway, regardless...

[Blandocyte]

7. That union has proved so useful

See, it can get all the members into a big room so the company can deliver the disgusting ultimatum without having to repeat it at smaller meetings! Those union dues paid off. Blech.

:puke:

[county worker]

8. This not the fault of the union. It's the fault of right wing types who do this to get rid of union

If the majority of the work force in this country were unionized there would not be any temps to hire.

Opinions like yours makes this is happen. Kill the unions and everyone is just an individual on his own fighting a powerful corporation. There is power in unions only if we organize more workers. The card check legislation would help here. It is the availability of scabs that is the cause.