Will the day come again??

Doesn't matter what the pres makes..the market's down, not a lot of good manufacturing jobs around..the membership did the math....we just went thru a work stoppage up here..not a lot of fun. sometimes you gotta take something you don't like

They have and they haven't. I will admit that there is a lot of needless dogma and that 95 per cent of the local's resources is spent on 5 per cent of the membership so we're viewed as protecting the slackers and the ne'er do wells. Where I see the value in a union is in health and safety and the preservation of human rights. If we all adhered to a basic code of conduct, respected OHS regs, human rights legislation et al you'd probably find that we wouldn't need unions..but you and I know that this doesn't always happen. I view it as a check valve. A good caring employer more than likely will not have a union in place but some workplaces have an environment that breeds fear and hostility and some workers are given no recourse but to organize.

I apologize for getting off track on this thread and I really hope that we don't have a big long waiting list to buy a Harley

All companies are upset with their unions. HELLO!!!:rant:

Wouldn't supprise me if HD picked up and moved to another state where its cheaper, like Alabama so they can loose some of their Union people..........
That's what I was getting at............
It would save them millions
Alabama has a lot of offers for companies. And people who will bust their but to have a good job, and come to work and do a super job.
Look how many car and motorcycle companies that have moved there.

I completely agree with you Chucktx. For this quarter in school we discussed briefly about unions and how they came to be and so on. I agree a little more with FLHT that there are still companies out there that need unions, my dads place of work is a good example. However, I am curious as to why did HD unionized in the first place? Did they have a track record of treating their employees in a bad way? I suppose it was because of the type of skilled trades that are involved with building motorcycles.

By being able to receive concessions from the union is a great indication of the lack of power that the union has. Remember, the union is ran by people and they vote on what it is that they want and they do not want. I think, just from the that fact alone is a sign that the union has already lost its clout. The people that are a part of the union can vote to disolve the union at HD, unlikely, but is possible.

So then this begs the question. If Harley could get rid of the union, do you think that it will then go back to the days, (at a much larger scale) of the order and wait style of buying an HD?

Another question. If HD ever did get rid of the union, do you honestly think that HD would lower its prices so they are more affordable to assists in market share?

I worked for Great Dane trailers years back.
We were not union.
Made decent money and had decent benefits. Had a lot of work.

Somebody that worked there came in and started talkin about Unions.
And said something to me about Unions.
I wouldn't listen to him
Needless to say, he was fired for no reason. But the main reason was they did not want the Union there.
If you git somebody that comes in and starts talkin Union, next thing you know folks are striking cause they want more.
And you don't realize the whole time yer gonna have to pay union dews.
And if you strike you ain't gittin paid.
Watched this the whole time I was growing up with U.S. Steel Company....
And all the family and friends that worked there.
Things like this push companies out of the U.S. so they don't have to deal with the Union.

But what was the issue that brought the union to HD? Was there a huge track record of employee mistreatment? Was it necessary I guess is what I am trying to find out. I am well aware of how easy it is for a union to come in.

Correct me If'n I'm wrong, but I was told somebody that works for a auto company, between their pay and benefits they make over 85.00 a hour......

Back in the hay day of unions reps would hang around the pubs and local gathering places with the employees and make grand promises on things they would get for employees if they were unionized. A friend of mine worked for a union and shared some stories about what he did to get a union in a company.

That is true because of the cost of the health insurance and other associated costs that are involved with that employee.

When I was growing up, and seen the Union folks at U.S. steel go on strike.
They still have to pay their union dews.
And I've seem em loose their cars, houses, and wind up taking another job.
They never got the money back they lost while on strike.
And they union wanted them there at the Picket lines for free and got them there.
Seen U.S. Steel shut down for years at a time over this too.
Think the Union won.

I am in no way arguing what the destructiveness is that a union has on a company. That is obvious. Thank you for that little tid bit about how that guy thinks and I agree that it is socialist.

I hate unions and and everything that are stand for in today's world. Especially since, and this is based on what I have learned this quarter in my Introduction to Business class, that companies seem to becoming more employee friendly, which is starting grind down the usefulness of unions and their power.

So again, this begs the question, if HD could dissolve its union, do you think that they would go back to the pa now receive later buying process, or even lower their prices to become more competitive? It seems to me that the only way that HD could or would do that is to go a state that offers larger concessions than what the Union can offer. It is unfortunate, but Bama would be a great place, since they take a more socialist role in padding corporations pocket book.

HD can't dissolve the Union where they are at.
And the Unions are all over the World.
Wouldn't supprise me if the Mafia wasn't in the Unions..........

You're making it hard for me to be looking at a chevy truck right now