Harley considering moving Kansas City operations to York

I believe it's time for the Harley workers to grow some balls and stick together as the UNION BROTHERS they say they are and bite the bullett and "STRIKE"... The management side is going to cut so many of the veteran workers out and replace them with parttime workers they call casual. They're out for one thing and one thing only, break the backs of the union workers and it's working because you all are falling for it. Too bad...
I forgot to mention shipping your jobs overseas to India. What's up with that?????..... "WAKE UP"

just-sayin wrote:

I believe it's time for the Harley workers to grow some balls and stick together as the UNION BROTHERS they say they are and bite the bullett and "STRIKE"... The management side is going to cut so many of the veteran workers out and replace them with parttime workers they call casual. They're out for one thing and one thing only, break the backs of the union workers and it's working because you all are falling for it. Too bad...
I forgot to mention shipping your jobs overseas to India. What's up with that?????..... "WAKE UP"

For the record, I'm not defending the company. I think their "victory" is short lived and will come back and bite them. Sure their bottom line looks good for now, but I don't think they'll be able to sustain it under the new labor structure. For starters, packing more people into a single building is going to cause problems.

As for the India thing. I can understand it from a business point of view. India charges huge tariffs for imports. Most of the major components will still be built in the US, but final assembly in a plant established in India allows tariff costs to all but disappear. Besides, Indians apparently WANT to buy HD motorcycles, so getting the product to them at a price unburdened by taxes is good for HD as an American corporation.

That doesn't mean I don't think the idea of a foreign assembly plant doesn't suck. It's just that I think it sucks for a different reason than most. If we weren't so disproportionally taxed on our exports as we tax others, HD probably wouldn't need an assembly plant in India in an attempt to cut costs.

HD has lost all credibility with me! First it was that the York workers have to buckle under or they would move to KC! Now its the opposite! HD is dying and will be buried by the other companies

First Harley threatens the workers at the York plant. It works and they get huge concessions from the workers. Next they play the same threat game with the workers at their home town plant in Wisconsin. It works and they get huge concessions from the workers there too. It was pretty obvious KC was next. Harley actually played one plant against the other, "York, we're going to move production to KC if you don't sign on the dotted line." "Wisconsin, we're going to move production to KC if you don't sign on the dotted line." And now, "KC, we're going to move production to York if you don't sign on the dotted line." That's about as demoralizing to your workers you can get. I wonder how the quality of the bikes is going to fair..?

The Party is over, the Fat Lady is getting ready to sing.

WOW! I cant even believe Harley has the balls to keep doing this and that everyone keeps falling for it. I really hope KC will hold their ground on this one and not buy into the treats this time, but Ive been there and know how bad it feels to think that you might loose your job if you don't give in. Got some news for you guys at KC. We, at York gave in so the plant would "stay here in York", and guess what? now most of us are unemployed or soon will be. Jobs are being outsourced left and right. "Casual Employees" brought in to do the same jobs that people are getting laid off from. Turns out it wasn't worth bending over for. I can't believe what Harley Davidson is doing to people is even legal. It really sickens me to see this happening again. Shows us what Harley thinks of its employees. Corporate Greed at its finest.

KC already gets paid about the same as the casual workers in York.The only thing left to concede on is healthcare and pensions.

Harley already has called back some of the employees previously laid-off. Next couple weeks they will call back 70 more.

I'm here...and I'm living it!! Harley SUCKS !!

First they're moving out of York
Then they are moving out of Wisconsin
Now Kansas City......
Opening an assembly plant in India......
looks like good business practices to me...
time for me to buy more HD stock.......

Can't believe Harley is pulling this again!!

This is HD game plan, it worked before. They will keep playing this strategy until it fails. It sucks for the workers who would be counting on this move for jobs. The union will fail, and HOPE the move is true, this will be the unions failing move.

I know this won't be a popular post...

I think the CEO of Harley is doing what he can to return the company to profit status. Read the posts - "overpriced junk" seems to be quite prevalent. Maybe it's "overpriced" because of the high cost of labor (including benefits and retirement, which are a huge cost to a company). Maybe it's "junk" because the union mindset of "it's not my job".

I believe his bark has bite - I wouldn't call his bluff because I believe he'll do what he says he will. He has to - if he doesn't do what he says, he loses face, and if he loses face, Harley is dead because no one will take him or his successor seriously. He's looking at overseas expansion, which is good. He's doing what he can to make the company profitable, which is good. Don't you think he knows he has competition and his product of overpriced and considered inferior? He does. And he's doing what he can to address those issues.

Personally, as a small business owner, I think he'll succeed in his plan, the workers that remain will perform better, the union will lose power (which is long overdue), and when the dust settles, Harley will be a leaner more efficient and profitable company with a happier workforce.

As for those of you who are slamming the company, take some business classes and see what it's like to run a business, especially in today's business climate. The days of any employee (white or blue collar) sitting fat and happy and expecting a gold watch upon retirement are long gone - it's up to you, as the employee, to show value to a company to retain your paycheck, or you'll just find yourself being replaced. It's the company that worries about global competition (which bring on lowered product prices which impacts gross profit margins which impacts what an employee can earn).

Of course, based on the grammer and perceived education level of some of the people behind the posts, I doubt too many of you will understand this. I hope your children are pushed to do their best in school, because it's even more important for them (and their children) to have a better, if not, higher level of education.

Smart CEO wrote:

I know this won't be a popular post...
I think the CEO of Harley is doing what he can to return the company to profit status. Read the posts - "overpriced junk" seems to be quite prevalent. Maybe it's "overpriced" because of the high cost of labor (including benefits and retirement, which are a huge cost to a company). Maybe it's "junk" because the union mindset of "it's not my job".
I believe his bark has bite - I wouldn't call his bluff because I believe he'll do what he says he will. He has to - if he doesn't do what he says, he loses face, and if he loses face, Harley is dead because no one will take him or his successor seriously. He's looking at overseas expansion, which is good. He's doing what he can to make the company profitable, which is good. Don't you think he knows he has competition and his product of overpriced and considered inferior? He does. And he's doing what he can to address those issues.
Personally, as a small business owner, I think he'll succeed in his plan, the workers that remain will perform better, the union will lose power (which is long overdue), and when the dust settles, Harley will be a leaner more efficient and profitable company with a happier workforce.
As for those of you who are slamming the company, take some business classes and see what it's like to run a business, especially in today's business climate. The days of any employee (white or blue collar) sitting fat and happy and expecting a gold watch upon retirement are long gone - it's up to you, as the employee, to show value to a company to retain your paycheck, or you'll just find yourself being replaced. It's the company that worries about global competition (which bring on lowered product prices which impacts gross profit margins which impacts what an employee can earn).
Of course, based on the grammer and perceived education level of some of the people behind the posts, I doubt too many of you will understand this. I hope your children are pushed to do their best in school, because it's even more important for them (and their children) to have a better, if not, higher level of education.

Children being pushed to do their best in school????? Not in amwerica! Its all about mediocrity!

Smart CEO wrote:

I know this won't be a popular post...
I think the CEO of Harley is doing what he can to return the company to profit status. Read the posts - "overpriced junk" seems to be quite prevalent. Maybe it's "overpriced" because of the high cost of labor (including benefits and retirement, which are a huge cost to a company). Maybe it's "junk" because the union mindset of "it's not my job".
I believe his bark has bite - I wouldn't call his bluff because I believe he'll do what he says he will. He has to - if he doesn't do what he says, he loses face, and if he loses face, Harley is dead because no one will take him or his successor seriously. He's looking at overseas expansion, which is good. He's doing what he can to make the company profitable, which is good. Don't you think he knows he has competition and his product of overpriced and considered inferior? He does. And he's doing what he can to address those issues.
Personally, as a small business owner, I think he'll succeed in his plan, the workers that remain will perform better, the union will lose power (which is long overdue), and when the dust settles, Harley will be a leaner more efficient and profitable company with a happier workforce.
As for those of you who are slamming the company, take some business classes and see what it's like to run a business, especially in today's business climate. The days of any employee (white or blue collar) sitting fat and happy and expecting a gold watch upon retirement are long gone - it's up to you, as the employee, to show value to a company to retain your paycheck, or you'll just find yourself being replaced. It's the company that worries about global competition (which bring on lowered product prices which impacts gross profit margins which impacts what an employee can earn).
Of course, based on the grammer and perceived education level of some of the people behind the posts, I doubt too many of you will understand this. I hope your children are pushed to do their best in school, because it's even more important for them (and their children) to have a better, if not, higher level of education.

return to profit status are you kidding!!!!!!! They have only lost money in one quarter in the past 16 years. IT'S ALL ABOUT MORE AND MORE AND MORE PROFITS NO MATTER WHO THEY SCREW THE EMPLOYEE'S, DEALERS, VENDERS, SUPPLIERS, STATES AND EVEN THE CUSTOMERS.The worst people to loose face with are the people that work for you . If you think harley will be a better place to work in the future make sure and check on it in about three or four years from now, when the turn over rate their will be about every two months

You were OK up until the point after you said...

Smart CEO wrote:

I know this won't be a popular post...

After that, your post was heavily laced with anti-labor rhetoric. Then again, maybe it wasn't. Perhaps you simply show contempt for all members of the working class.

As a small business owner, you should be worried about how your notions are perceived by those who may already be working for you. I'm sure they are already at below average levels of salary and benefits.

york has some very hard working industrious people. it would sure help the local economy.

Buy Honda....you can't go wrong....

Better yet, move all the Harley plants to Mexico.