Posted on 01/31/2007 12:41:44 PM PST by nowings
Jan 31, 2007 — About 98 percent of Harley's nearly 2,800 unionized workers have voted to strike. The contract expires at 12:01 a.m. Friday, and picketing will begin at that time, union representatives said.
Discussions on the proposed labor contract began at 9 a.m. today in the Toyota Arena at the York Expo Center, where the members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175 met.
There was a 'new' Sportster? I didn't notice anything new from what I saw! s/
Really? I'm personally tired of unions ruining the economy and supporting marxism and hard left candidates and using the power of government to screw over the middle class myself.
But, when a company is making mega money, is it a bad thing that workers get a stake in it?
They do. It's called their salary. And if the "workers" (Komrad) want a greater share than that they can take the money that they spend on beer, cigaretts and lotto tickets and buy stock.
The workers are the first ones to take the hit if it goes sour.
Then you'd think that they had an incentive to make the company successful, not try to loot it.
I am tired of the UNION bashing on FR. They helped create the middle class in this country.
LMAO! I hear that union garbage all the time. Unions are destroying America. Pull you head out of the sand!"
I belonged to a total of 5 unions in my lifetime. Will NEVER do so again.
I didn't make good money until I was SELF-employed. The union held me down from progressing upward in the company. And- I belonged to union when we were assessed an extra dollar a month to pay for Jimmy Hoffa's legal fees. He was on trial for stealing our union funds in the first place. I never felt more violated.
I have the Tour Deluxe -- primarily because I ride solo.
Undermined argument?
Can you help me out with this? How many workers were unionized, say after WWII throughout the 60's, when the middle class was growing in this country as opposed to how many there are now?
I worked at a place in my youth that did it this way. After the union negotiated their contract, most always amicably, salaried workers generally received similar changes. That benefited most everyone there. In that way they helped pull all of us up a bit. Is there something wrong with that?
I'll state again - I am not a union member or supporter. I also think in their present form, they probably cause more harm than good.
Absolutely.
Take cars, for example. Those "hand ups" that were negotiated then for generous health and pensions plans now cost "legacy" American auto companies up to $3000 per vehicle TODAY.
The workers of today were sold into chains for the "comfort" of the past generation.
Collective bargaining is one thing. Getting safe working conditions is one thing. But what unions squeezed out of this country in competitiveness was immoral.
I don't blame Unions per se, I blame the boomer gimme-gimme mentality that fueled them. Same as with Social Security.
I was reading American Rider magazine and read some very interesting items about Harleys by Harley people:
* Neary all Harley riders are dissatisfied with stock performance.
* A writer telling about how riding a Sporster at or above 80 mph was a strain for the bike and about the time she blew and engine trying to keep up with some Road Kings at 85 mph
* A guy bragging about a 14,000 mile summer in which he replaced 'only' both sets of breaks, a drive belt, a couple tires and a few other parts.
* Vibration is GOOD!
It just seems to me that they find all kinds of ways to justify a poor performing product.
I just think it is the "Sweet Lemons" theory at work.
They ride whatever the local PGR rides. On the missions I've been on I've seen everything from sportsbikes to trikes.
BTW, I own two Kawasakis, 1987 ZL 1000 and 1996 Vulcan 1500 and I'm a PGR.
My leathers protect me from wind and pavement, and yes, I've tested both!.
My do-rag is easier to wash then the inside of my helmet. I normally wear a ball cap, however, rather than a do-rag.
Do you have a problem with equestrians wearing high boots and saddle pants when they ride or a problem with bicyclists wearing their funny little shorts and funny little shoes...ok, bad example! lol..
Your fuel consumption for good or bad is not my concern.
American Union workers retain the image of slovenly, overpaid, and underworked employees. I did not by myself create this stigma. I believe there are well documented evaluations of this very type of behavior.
Furthermore the lives affected because of downsizing and automation are of no concern to me either. American business takes no pity on those who can't or will not adjust to change.
Finally as to those firms which might replace those jobs - well jobs are not like machine tools or computers, they are more like Bic Lighters, whereas they are needed for short periods, and the number of uses varies widely, but at some point they are no longer useful at all, and will need to be discarded.
I hope this short screed is of some useful purpose, and something is learned on your part. Have a nice day.
Ford announced this morning they are investing 800m in a Polish auto plant. F is about to offshore bigtime...
As said earlier - it is not smart to kill the golden goose. I must agree with most of your assessment as presented. Many unions got overly greedy and did contribute to the problems present today. But let's not forget that the companies agreed to these contract items, also.
My take is negotiating must be, and I hate to use the word, fair to both sides. In times of plenty, workers can ask and try to receive. Correspondingly, upon hard times they should be expected to give back, too.
on the bike its fine.. altho i think chaps fail to protect a vital area, and all that protective leather looks kinda finny when the guys go helmetless or in brain buckets.
its the posers that'll never be able to afford the bike, decked out in the leathers that i laugh at. :)
Agreed, but when the lean times come, and they will, how many give backs will the workers give? It's always "one way" with unions. If they signed on as limited partners when they hired on, then they should share the wealth. There is no downside for an employee. They want gravy when it's good, but don't give an inch when it's bad.
It would be nice to have profit sharing with your company, but if you have that, be prepared for loss sharing also.
How far would you get with Ford right now if the company suggested a $1 an hour cut with a $5 extra co pay on a doctor visit? They would rather close the doors on a 100 year old company and EVERYONE LOOSE THEIR JOB. You can't loose the kind of money they are and stay open for long. I worked union(SBC) for 30 years and I've seen all this. They would rather me loose my job than give an inch. BTW, about 50% of their "union" brothers were laid off during the last 10 years. IMHO, if a vote were taken at AT&T right now, I don't think the union would survive.
Know what you mean about their noise. Not that my bike is quiet or anything, but I really enjoy riding down the freeway and coming up on a group of riders. I can tell that they're Harleys because they're going barely 60mph and everyone is passing them.
Saw a show on TV called Pinks...where cars typically square off for 1/4 mile runs. This time, though, there was a 2005 VROD against a 1987 Suzuki something or other...not a crotch rocket but just a roadbike. The Suzuki smoked the VROD 3 out of 4 runs...even giving the VROD length advantages. The VROD pilot complained about slipping/overheated clutch and something else. Didn't lose his bike ($26,000 v. $3,500) but sure dented his ego.
--That's an odd way to phrase it.--
One of the reasons one should obey JR's guidance of always using the original headline.
"Harley locks out workers, halts production"
Meh--overpriced yuppie toys anyway. Good riddance.
--I am tired of the UNION bashing on FR. They helped create the middle class in this country. YEP, the same one that is disappearing at a fast rate. Don't forget that.--
The middle class is strong. The unions ate the hand that fed them.
The way some companies act it is not a given that the unions in this case do not have a case. What are the issues in this labor action?
--I'll grant there have been issues w/ some unions throughout history. But, when a company is making mega money, is it a bad thing that workers get a stake in it?--
They are union workers. I am sure that they were already getting their 'share'. Besides, if it wasn't for the government, they would be working at the local pizza hut instead of at HD.
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