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msnbc.com story: Harley Workers Vote In Favor of New Contract
MILWAUKEE - Hundreds of Harley-Davidson workers voted in favor of a contract proposal from the company, a vote that will most likely keep the company's manufacturing operations in Milwaukee. The seven-year deal with freeze their pay, slash hundreds of jobs and assign large volumes of work to nonunion workers.
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Hardly able to...
I'm not a Harley rider, but I respect them. I'd love to own a Harley XR-750 and make it street legal. All over the world, I've been asked if I ride A Harley. It really isn't a motorcycle, it's an institution. A way of life and a club.
It's sad to see this, even for a Ducati Lover, like me.
You are right. Harley's are not much of a motorcycle. They are unsophisticated machines that make too much noise, are too slow, suck up fuel, too fat and heavy, etc, etc. They are an institution of sorts though. You may as well buy a new Studebaker.
Small sacrifices are ahead for these Harley employees after their pay freezes in the coming years. But commendable is that the iconic American motorcycle remains built in America! (Sorry China).
Well, at least 55% of it is built here. That's mostly!
Congrats to the Union and Company. The reality of our economic situation is understood and resulted in an agreement rather than a strike which would have ended up hurting both sides of this negotiation. Hats off to everyone in Milwaukee.
another indication that union is selling out to the corporate. All the dues and this is what we get!!!. The gop has won another victory. all the pres from reagan to clinton to the bushes should be shamed. Not to mention congress. Wow such a small few ruined a whole many and a country!!!.
...heck of alot better then another closed down / abandoned manufacturing plant rotting itself back into the earth....
...fat cat union leaders are just as guilty as politicians for the present state of the manufacturing industry in the US...
As before mentioned, there has been an agenda for decades to destroy the middle class unions, with artestry that utilizes a scalpel in lieu of the brush. Sub-categories of Republicans and Democrats to further confuse and divide us. United they stand, right? Well, we're divided and headed straight to the ground and who benefits by the fractured masses? Right, the guys w/ the scalpel. Nope, they're not "the elite progressives" that provincial tunnel envisionists would like you to believe either. Now, can we work as a nation to fix this mess? R's>D's seem incapable of legislation that doesn't include collusion. Read, follow C-span(record it), we're only hurting ourselves.
I bet the CEO and the board of directors didn’t take a pay freeze for seven years. Or slash any of their jobs. They more than likely got a Big Bonus, for sticking it to the working man.
Welcome to reality! When you're the president of the company and can set your own salary, would you want to make the same as the production line person? Buy some Harley stock, get a group together and challenge this contract as an owner.
VOTE FOR EQUALITY - EQUALITY I N SERVICES, BENEFITS, AWARDS, ,,......AND HONOR! Does anyone remember that word......?
There's a good chance that their contract has a clause for renegotiation if the economy improves, no one should work for 7 years without a pay increase. I used to ride Harley, now its a Kawasaki, more bike for less money and reliabe too. Little known fact to many is Harley imports about 35% of its parts from Japan. Electronics and electric parts mostly.
Don't know the details but the emphasis should be on keeping the plant in the USA. Hopefully ALL the company sacrificed something in order to have a job down the road.
Who wants to ride a Harley thats imported?
Sure some parts may be impoted but the primary build facility and production stays here.
Hmmm, AMF all over again. Was nothing learned? Guess time will tell. I wonder if the price of a Harley will drop so I can afford one? Probably not! If you sell more, more will ride. Just a thought...
It's nice to see them come to an agreement. Now it's up to us, the consumer , to shun foreign competitors and buy Harley Davidson. Buying American is the only way we can turn this economy around. That will mean hard choices like not shopping at Wal-mart and paying higher prices at the mom-and-pop stores, but we have to do it to preserve our very economic existence. All these global economy proponents will condemn me, but there really is no other way to bring back jobs.
There are other ways to bring back jobs. We must make better products. Harleys are just icons, not a very good motorcycle. Try racing a crotch rocket sometime, and they stink in the dirt. What's to like? The noise?
You better check you sources if you think Harley Davidson is American made....believe it or not, approximately 56% is made in the U.S. Victory motorcycles are approximately 92% American made, that's what I'm talking about.
I test road a Victory.Pretty sweet.
But who wants a Victory
If its not a Harley its not a Motorcycle
That about says it all - for motorcycles.
And thanks to the Union for seeing reality and keepin on keeping on.
Corporations Line up for "Corporate Welfare" even as they and GOP lackeys blast "government interference", cut jobs, and reduce worker salaries.
who do they think is going to buy them if they keep taking jobs away from the us. most people can't afford one now.