Harley-Davidson ratified new labor union agreements on Monday at its two Wisconsin facilities.
The motorcycle maker signed agreements with the United Steelworkers Local 2-209 and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 78 at its Menomonee Falls plant and USW Local 460 at its Tomahawk site.
Union representatives for both groups confirmed to Manufacturing Dive that the members have voted to ratify the agreements with the company. Negotiations between the motorcycle maker and the unions began in the fall.
"[Monday’s] announcement reinforces the strong and positive relationship between Harley-Davidson and the Unions,” Harley-Davidson Chairman, President, and CEO Jochen Zeitz said in a statement.
IAM Lodge 78’s agreement with Harley-Davidson includes an improved vacation time earning schedule, a 25% average wage bump, additional paid breaks during 8-hour shifts, increased paid personal time, Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday, and a $4,000 ratification bonus.
“This agreement represents a significant step forward for our workforce, with no concessions made,” IAM Director of Collective Bargaining Craig Norman said in a statement. “We are proud to have secured substantial benefits for our members, including notable wage increases and improvements in working conditions.”
The economics in the USW’s two contracts are similar to the IAM agreement, Mike Millsap, USW District 7 director and chief negotiator, said in an email to Manufacturing Dive. He added that the union has about 300 members at the Tomahawk plant and about 700 at the Menomonee facility.
Harley-Davidson also operates an assembly plant in York, Pennsylvania, as well as in Brazil and Thailand, according to the company's website. IAM Local 175 ratified a five-year contract with Harley-Davidson at the York facility in August 2022.
Elsewhere, IAM is working on contract negotiations with another major company. IAM Districts 751 and W24 submitted a 350-page proposal to Boeing on March 8 that includes a 40% general wage increase, decreased medical benefits costs and enhanced job security.
The two IAM districts represent approximately 33,200 members at Boeing’s production facilities in Puget Sound, Washington, and Gresham, Oregon. The contract expires Sept. 12.
