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Harley-Davidson to close Wauwatosa, WI plant, eliminate 1,000+ jobs


Harb67

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http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/23/Harley-Davidson_to_cut_jobs/UPI-78261232769183/

Harley-Davidson Inc. has announced it will close its Wauwatosa, Wis., plant in 2010, eliminating several hundred jobs. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported the plant's closure is part of a restructuring plan that includes the elimination of 1,100 jobs in the next two years.

Plans call for 640 jobs to be cut at the company's facilities in Wisconsin, Harley President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Ziemer told the newspaper. He said 230 of the job cuts will be in non-production positions -- mostly involving salaried personnel, including engineering, administrative and finance departments.

The newspaper reported that about 70 percent of the job reductions will occur this year, with the remainder to be made in 2010.

"These are all very tough decisions, but sometimes we have to go through some pain" to ensure the company's long-term viability, Ziemer said.

Sucks that Americans will be losing jobs; all the more reason to hate Hardley-Ableson

(oh SNAP, did I just beat Casper to the punch with a story from Digg? It was nice knowing you guys; I'll write you a post card from banned-land sometime ;))

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Well run out and buy a couple harley's then and save the american worker.... quit buying the rice racers and supporting the asian economy!!! You can't bitch about the american worker losing his job and still go out and buy foreign products, isn't that a bit hipocritical? But let me guess, if Harley were to ask for a bail out you'd be all for it right? Didn't think so.....

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So I'm guilty for Harley being in some hot water because I bought a Japanese bike? ...don't you ride a Suzuki?

Harley could easily increase their sales simply by producing a bike that's A) cheap and B) appealing to a wider audience and C) that gets better gas mileage. But instead, they feel the need to crank out another Deluxe Custom American Eagle Vintage Softtail VLDTX Commemorative Anniversary Edition cruiser every goddamn year that costs more than a lighly used Civic and that barely gets the same gas mileage and that appeals to a very small audience.

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Well run out and buy a couple harley's then and save the american worker.... quit buying the rice racers and supporting the asian economy!!! You can't bitch about the american worker losing his job and still go out and buy foreign products, isn't that a bit hipocritical? But let me guess, if Harley were to ask for a bail out you'd be all for it right? Didn't think so.....

Youre a funny dude.

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I am sorry to hear about this..

but...

ALL these companies were skating such a fine line with their budgets that 1 slow year killed them. Gimme a break! I have no sympathy. No wonder that average Americans have no savings or concept of a conservative budget.

((end rant))

I would have liked to work at one of those WI plants after retirement:(

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I would gladly buy a Harley if they were under 10 grand OTD. That is, if I was in the market for a cruiser. Yet, I can get a nice Suzuki Intruder that runs well for less than 7000 clams. As a consumer, I am NOT obligated to spend more money on a product, irrespective of where that product is made. Competition produces a better product in the long run and maybe if Harley Davidson would try and cater to a broader demographic besides weekend-warrior riders who pay for an image, then maybe the Harley logo would be on my CBR. Well, there is the Buell but...

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Competition produces a better product in the long run and maybe if Harley Davidson would try and cater to a broader demographic besides weekend-warrior riders who pay for an image, then maybe the Harley logo would be on my CBR. Well, there is the Buell but...

Hell, even Buell is hardly a Harley anymore. The new ones use a Rotax engine :lol:

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My point is this, I wasn't calling anyone out, it's like the mayor asking to freeze the unions increases for a year instead of doing layoffs to offset the budgetary concerns, but the unions don't want to give up their money... they can't see the common sense to put off the "raises" for a year and keep more people working... they'd rather put the pressure on for more money and less people working... it's the whole I'm gonna screw you before you screw me principal... now harley is making adjustments to the demand, and everyone wants to say "oh the poor american worker" well just like at ford and GM, maybe the workers are getting way more then they deserve? anyone think about that? UAW workers get upwards of 70 dollars an hour to drive screws into metal, and most of that work is done by robots... whereas the workers at honda and toyota, make around 20-30, and they are still working!!! see the point? if the workers weren't so greedy the companies wouldn't be in the position they are now.... and it's thier own fault for letting it get this far... and this is coming from someone who is a UNION member! I'd rather be working for less money then NOT working for ANY money.... but the unions don't see it that way. And so if I was working a union job, yeah I'd be making the chedda' but in 3 months when the project was over I'd be making ZERO! until the next job came up... so, maybe just see it from another perspective, and you'll understand that a smaller harley, is way better then NO harley at all....

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All I was saying is that it sucks people are being let go; I feel bad for them. Any insult I said directed at Harley is not based on the firings; but rather solely on the fact that I don't like the bikes, the image, and most of the riders...it was mostly tongue-in-cheek anyway (I figured that was obvious from the blatant misspelling of the name). I can't fault a company for making tough decisions; business is business. If I were in their position, I'd do the same thing. Yes, it sucks people are losing jobs, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do in times like these.

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ahhh youth.

"Screw them I hate harley." I have no clue what you do for a living so here is a stab at how it affects a community.

So you work at best buy in that town, how do you think business will be.

So you work at a Grocery store

a hospital

a car dealership

a school

a department store

a veterinary office

a Doctor

All these places are directly impacted by Lay off's and closures.

Love them or hate them, I hate seeing anyone get laid off.

Moose your are not correct on you Uaw worker wages. the highest paid is $32 an hour. IMHO is still too much, but is not $70. The way the came to that figure was the cost of wages and benefits and divide it by the total hours worked. How many retiree's are there. A bunch and all with full retirement benefits including a pension and healthcare.

Wages in the United states need adjusted in a major way. Everyone screams and yells about the UAW wages. But what about the Exectives. 14 mil for the ceo. way to much. How many cars do that have to sell to pay for that.

http://www.companypay.com/executive/compensation/general-motors-corp.asp?yr=2008

Ford 28 million for a CEO

http://www.companypay.com/executive/compensation/ford-motor-co.asp?yr=2008

Harley was 4 mill

http://www.companypay.com/executive/compensation/harley-davidson-inc.asp?yr=2008

Remember those wages are plus perks. Expense accounts, memberships and stipens.

Greed it ain't right.

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ahhh youth.

"Screw them I hate harley." I have no clue what you do for a living so here is a stab at how it affects a community.

So you work at best buy in that town, how do you think business will be.

So you work at a Grocery store

a hospital

a car dealership

a school

a department store

a veterinary office

a Doctor

All these places are directly impacted by Lay off's and closures.

Love them or hate them, I hate seeing anyone get laid off.

Moose your are not correct on you Uaw worker wages. the highest paid is $32 an hour. IMHO is still too much, but is not $70. The way the came to that figure was the cost of wages and benefits and divide it by the total hours worked. How many retiree's are there. A bunch and all with full retirement benefits including a pension and healthcare.

Wages in the United states need adjusted in a major way. Everyone screams and yells about the UAW wages. But what about the Exectives. 14 mil for the ceo. way to much. How many cars do that have to sell to pay for that.

http://www.companypay.com/executive/compensation/general-motors-corp.asp?yr=2008

Ford 28 million for a CEO

http://www.companypay.com/executive/compensation/ford-motor-co.asp?yr=2008

Harley was 4 mill

http://www.companypay.com/executive/compensation/harley-davidson-inc.asp?yr=2008

Remember those wages are plus perks. Expense accounts, memberships and stipens.

Greed it ain't right.

true I agree, I think everyone should make what they are "worth".. where your number is coming from is "base salary" the 70 is with added benifits and health care costs.... My base is 25 bucks an hour with 5 for membership, and 15 for healthcare, so technically I make 45 bucks an hour... even tho my take home is only around 17 or 18 because I get taxed on the total amount... i agree the execs should make less, probably if they only made 100 grand, which is still alot they could afford to keep a few more people working, but unless the demand is there how would it help?

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Harley Davidson is on a financial death watch. The credit boom that generated income through financing loans in-house for them is now gone. Unfortunately for Harley Davidson, they are currently more of a financial institution than they are a manufacturer. Their balance sheet shows a disaster ahead in 2010. One that they are not likely to survive.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/116346-company-death-watch-harley-davidson

I would not want to own Harley stock right now, and would sell it at a loss if I did.

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Even stranger, Harley got sued in Mexico for the sportster name, and lost. Now instead of buying the rights to that name for $100,000, they owe 40% of the purchase price of every Sportster sold in Mexico since 1989. They owe this guy millions. This is old news from back in 2007, but it's news to me.

http://www.uslaw.com/library/Personal_Injury_Law/Harley_Davidson_Loses_Trademark_Lawsuit_Sportster_Name_Mexico.php?item=5870

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Isn't the end of the world in 2012' date=' anyway?? No big deal, in my opinion.[/quote']

Harleys and cockroaches will probably survive any disaster. Which leads me to believe that giant mutant cockroaches will be riding Harleys in the future...

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If only more people would do their research instead of just repeating the garbage they hear on FoxNews. I hope people actually read that link Mr. Lost posted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzd8p7HzDjg

Media still wedded to $70+ per hour autoworker falsehood despite GM's recent statements to the contrary

http://mediamatters.org/items/200812060002

As for Harley... I feel bad for the workers, just like the auto industry, it's the blue collar (and some white collar) that have to pay the price for the poor management and executive's mistakes.

Edited by JRMMiii
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So what happens to MV Agusta? Harley bought them last year and laid off a bunch of Harley employees back then also. I don't think they actually care about Agusta motorcycles. I think they just wanted the show room floor space for Harley sales in Europe. They sell better over there than they do in the USA. Or so they claim.

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