Two labor Unions End Partnership With Harley-Davidson

Two labor unions ended a two-decade long partnership agreement with Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG.N) on Tuesday, citing issues with senior management.

Union leaders belonging to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the United Steelworkers (USW) said they were concerned with the way Harley’s management was handling staffing related to seasonal production. (In clear, Harley is accused of replacing as many as possible hourly workers with seasonal temporary workers)

Chief Executive Matt Levatich agreed to work with the unions to resolve staffing issues raised on behalf of full-time workers, USW said in a release. Harley-Davidson said in May it would build a plant in Thailand, a major Asian automotive hub, to serve the growing Southeast Asian market, a move that was criticized by USW (From Reuters)

25 Responses to “Two labor Unions End Partnership With Harley-Davidson”


  1. 1 InsideLine Sep 13th, 2017 at 8:27 am

    Between the ‘ seasonal worker ‘ issues , outsourcing , H-1B issues , lay offs etc not to mention all the phony corporate cronyism that has accomplished nothing its about time the unions took a stand : not that it’ll do much good . But suffice it to say after 91 years of loyalty and ownership my family and I have taken our business elsewhere .

  2. 2 Mike Greenwald Sep 13th, 2017 at 8:36 am

    Negotiations that reach a conclusion of manufacturing the best motorcycle by these two entities of labor and management are designed to fail with angst that is misnomered an agreement. Either build the bike that customers want or build the compromise that you can hype and wipe with your t-shirts.

  3. 3 Joe Sep 13th, 2017 at 9:45 am

    Unions no longer serve a purpose, its time to dump all of them. There is just as much “cronyism” at the top levels of Unions as there is anywhere else.

  4. 4 BD Sep 13th, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Unions are the real cause of factories leaving the states

  5. 5 richards Sep 13th, 2017 at 10:56 am

    “Ends Partnership” ???

  6. 6 Fzzzz Sep 13th, 2017 at 11:02 am

    So what now? Is another union(s) going to step in? Or are the workers going to take their lumps?

    I have a sneaking suspicion there is plenty of blame to go all the way around with this debacle.

  7. 7 FreakYerGreek Sep 13th, 2017 at 12:29 pm

    Unions are a necessary evil and it is the pursuit of excessive and immediate profits as well as shareholders greed thats been driving manufacturing off shore not the unions . Take the unions away and your salaries and jobs will fall into the abyss . End of discussion .

  8. 8 Tommy Halfway Sep 13th, 2017 at 12:53 pm

    Richards. Yes, partnering or not in a labor deal.

  9. 9 James just another crazy kiwi Sep 13th, 2017 at 1:31 pm

    These moves are happening all around the Western world, migrant workers and lower wages.

    All for the share holders prophets.. Problem is that soon there will be so few real wage earners that the products will not be purchased.. immigrant wage robbers and robotics are destroying the working class .

  10. 10 highrpm Sep 13th, 2017 at 4:36 pm

    how about wall street committing to reducing the insane multiples between executive compensation and hourly workers wages. capitalism gone awry.

  11. 11 Architect Sep 14th, 2017 at 7:12 am

    We deal with multiple Unions on a daily basis. They need to go away. How can anyone except a Government agency pay a laborer $100/hour to dig a ditch!?!? The labor rates are crazy, and not to the benefit of the laborer. Half or their money goes back up to the Union. The workers would be better off with a 30% pay cut but not have to pay up to the Union, their net take home would increase, HD would save money and the jobs could stay in the Country.

  12. 12 Jim Tom Stimpson Sep 14th, 2017 at 7:23 am

    THank you Architect!

  13. 13 joe Sep 14th, 2017 at 8:39 am

    The 100 bucks an hour comment is pretty ignorant. That’s what the owner charges to meet the costs of doing business. The worker gets a small percentage of that I assure you. American desire to make a better living doesn’t stop at the board room.

  14. 14 Blasts Sep 14th, 2017 at 10:48 am

    I’m third generation union and they put me out.of three jobs. My Father walked with J.Hoffa.to get a better wage and did. Unions started meaning well and ended up eating well when they sold out their own getting in bed with the employers. The average Joe who does his job doesn’t need one. That said a union trained journeyman is quite skilled. Today they protect a lot of bums who would be fired at McDonald’s…and that takes away from the good they do. Sitting on lazy asses next to an inflatable rat SCREAMS shithead.

  15. 15 Charles from MA Sep 14th, 2017 at 1:07 pm

    I have a hard time sitting in judgment of what a company has to do to stay in business selling a luxury item like motorcycles. However, unions have lost a lot of members and a lot of power over the years. Reagan, corporate greed, outsourcing, technology, all of it hurts workers. Unions led the way to prosperity in the post-war years up through the sixties, and the middle class was big and jobs were available to anybody willing to work hard. Those times won’t be back, but unions are a way for workers to fight back against companies who rip off their workers to benefit shareholders. Unions are a good thing. More power to unions. God bless them, they are the American way and they need to stay active and keep the fat cats from taking everything but table scraps.

  16. 16 Architect Sep 14th, 2017 at 1:59 pm

    HEY JOE! I have certified payroll to prove that the City agency I represent pays that and more all day long for our Union work force. I agree they do not see that in their take home, but it is what we pay. The Union gets half of the workers’ money, how is that helping the worker? I wish I was making this up, but I am not. Unions killing their own people to make themselves rich. Good luck.

  17. 17 BobS Sep 14th, 2017 at 6:24 pm

    Do you like weekends? Thank a union. 40 hour work weeks with overtime pay? Thank a union. Do you like not giving your life at an unsafe workplace in order to maximize the CEO’s yacht account? Thank a union. Paid vacation? Thank a union. Sick leave? Thank a union. Not being fired for lack of brown nosing? Thank a union.
    Yes, every powerful entity contains problems and corruption, unions included. That doesn’t mean you throw the baby out with the bath water. It means get off your lazy butt, join a union, attend a meeting, and bit out corruption. My union dues are 1.5 hours worth of pay per paycheck. Nowhere near 30%.

  18. 18 Pat h Sep 14th, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    I’m 30+ year union member UA we have no guaranteed job we slow down you get laid-off we pay no more than 3-4% to the union no work no pay but the benefits of a well trained employees benefits everyone a honest days work for a honest days pay nobody’s getting rich even our local union bosses we pay our own retirement Architect sounds a little bitter cause she doesn’t have anyone backing her up to get a better quality of life maybe she should join a union or get a little educated on the subject before spewing false percentages

  19. 19 HillBilly Jim Sep 15th, 2017 at 6:31 am

    Say what you may about unions but I have been in all levels of industry from janitor to mid level management and never in a company meeting have I heard management say “you are working too hard and you are under paid”.

  20. 20 richards Sep 15th, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    I worked 5 years in the union and was a steward for 1 year. I worked 40 years in management. Consequently, I’d be considered a “Company Guy”. What I did learn over those 45 years is there would be no unions if companies would just treat their people fairly. Most of them do NOT! Therefore there is a NEED for Unions…if there wasn’t a NEED there wouldn’t be any.

  21. 21 domino Sep 16th, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    I’ve always enjoyed medical, dental, paid vacation … so I have always been attracted to union work … I currently pay $12.80 a week in dues. Not much.
    What I don’t get about this article is why is the union leaving?? Shouldn’t they be working on a contract that protects their guys from getting bumped by seasonal workers??
    My shop is allowed 4 seasonal non-union during our 7 month peak. Works out great for us. We get to see what kind of worker we might want to bring on full time. I sure don’t want to be stuck with a guy who doesn’t pull his weight.(neither does my employer)
    Union is good and bad … it works for me.
    …………………….Domino Dave ………………………

  22. 22 Rob Sep 18th, 2017 at 10:19 am

    Architect, please do everyone a favor, and go play in traffic. Thanks.

  23. 23 Boss Hawg Sep 18th, 2017 at 11:09 am

    Unions ? When a “clerk” at the port of LA makes $100k/yr plus with benefits we have a problem.

    I 100% support the “right to work” as here in FL.

    Whaddayasay ? Ground control to Major Tom ?

    Boss Hawg

  24. 24 Pop Sep 19th, 2017 at 4:29 am

    I quit buying new Harleys when the car salesman mentality took hold and ejected dealers who wouldn’t turn working motorcycle shops into boutiques.
    Making Harleys in Thailand.
    Run Forrest run.

  25. 25 nicker Sep 19th, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    Assuming the MoCo sold stock to the public to get operating capital, how does that make the share holders, who risked their hard earned money to by stocks, “greedy”….???

    If the MoCo builds product overseas that is their business decision and they are taxed on the basis of that business. But if these products are then imported into the US then they need to pay the import duty to which any foreign product would be subject.

    In the real world technology can be more consistent and accurate than human labor. And so union workers will increasingly be unable to compete with automation that is involved in repetitive tasks where flexibility, skill and good judgement isn’t required…. The days of the lackadaisical, disengaged, and uninformed employee are numbered. Unions will simply be unable to protect them….

    -nicker-

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Cyril Huze