As profit plummets, Harley to cut 1,000 more jobs

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ^ | July 16, 2009 | Rick Barrett

[Obadiah]

Buffet LOVES this president.

[null and void]

Steal it!

(do you want the HTML?)

[ridesthemiles]

Wonder how this will square with Gov Doyle and his henchmen in the Wisconsin legislature for their plans to tax anything and everything?

[mysterio]

Maybe the cost of those “well paid manufacturing workers” has some bearing on HDs price points?

It seems odd to you that a company would want its workers to be able to buy its product?

Additionally, I think it's more likely that a large part of the price is the brand itself. I would guess it's not entirely because workers there earn a decent wage.

[mysterio]

but they too seem to regularly buy used as opposed to buying new for the most part (and they quickly pull off the foreign exhausts and trim and replace them with American parts). Just my thoughts on it, I'm sure the flames await.

Yeah, most of the folks in my area were in the used bike trade. But then we lost even our low paying manufacturing jobs, so those numbers are dropping as well.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Ooooh. I know why the stock shot up today. This horrible news makes Harley-Davidson eligible for billions in stimulus funds.

[RabidBartender]

They’re shutting down the plant here in North Kansas City for 14-16 weeks, and laying off around 400 employees. Should be on the local news tonight. :(

[Obadiah]

Sure. Freep me up.

[Tallguy]

What I’m hearing is that most of Harley’s York facility will be shut down as the manufacturing retreats into the new building there that currently houses soft-tail assembly.

If Harley were to totally abandon York (PA) they’d be leaving a lot of Pennsyvania tax relief on the table.

They basically ended the 2008 model year several weeks early so that they could furlough some workers while they changed over model years. If the bike forecast for ‘09 continues to exceed capacity they will do the same in ‘09.

[null and void]

You have the HTML in your FReepmail.

[jpsb]

"The outsourcing model has failed."

How are you enjoying the collaspe your policies brought us? Curious minds would like to know what yall free trading, out sourcing is good, Chicoms lovers are thinking?

[Dixie Yooper]

Buffet LOVES this president.

He used to love Harley Davidson...and hot air balloons and Liz Taylor and...

[Night Hides Not]

So is Plugs Biden planning a trip out to Wisconsin, to extol the benefits of the Obama Economic Plan?

Maybe Eric Cantor should make a quick trip NW from VA while Biden's making a fool out of himself in Eric's district.

[NewHampshireDuo]

I’d bet the Obama types hate companies like Harley and the people who ride them. They just reek of independence and freedom from regulation. Maybe if they came out with something electric and a bit smaller than a Vespa.

[MNlurker]

Not real well when Mercury Marine leaves for OK too...as they said on the radio today here in Milwaukee. If Doyle doesn’t have a brother in law involved there’s no reason to make a real effort.

[1rudeboy]

Curious mind? Don’t flatter yourself.