Bryan's Blog

TOM M - Harley/York  September 3, 2009 05:37 AM
I think you will find that this is the start of all HDs problems Harley Davidson Inc Executive Salaries, Bonuses, Stock Options, and Other Compensation Company Information Company Name Harley Davidson Inc Stock Symbol HOG Business Address 3700 W JUNEAU AVE MILWAUKEE, WI 53208 Industry Motorcycles, Bicycles & Parts Fiscal Year-End 12/31 State of Incorporation WI Telephone Number 414-342-4680 Proxy Statement Filing Years - 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Harley Davidson Inc filed the compensation data below on 4/1/2008 Name and Principal Position (a) Year (b) Salary ($) (c) Bonus ($) (d) Stock Awards ($) (1) (e) Option Awards ($) (1) (f) Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) (2) (g) Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compen- sation Earnings ($) (3) (h) All Other Compensation ($) (4) (i) Total ($) (j) James L. Ziemer (PEO) President and CEO 2007 $ 875,534 $ — $ 928,103 $ 1,094,065 $ — $ 1,474,000 $ 76,011 $ 4,447,713 2006 $ 824,551 $ — $ 650,568 $ 860,442 $ 989,461 $ 937,000 $ 65,431 $ 4,327,452 Thomas E. Bergmann (PFO) Executive Vice President and CFO 2007 $ 488,787 $ — $ 221,878 $ 163,787 $ — $ 34,000 $ 31,770 $ 940,222 2006 $ 370,110 $ — $ 144,281 $ 69,609 $ 310,892 $ 231,000 $ 44,117 $ 1,170,009 James A. McCaslin President and COO-Motor Company 2007 $ 495,019 $ — $ 208,426 $ 383,848 $ — $ 370,000 $ 38,005 $ 1,495,298 2006 $ 466,350 $ — $ 124,691 $ 447,741 $ 287,272 $ 471,000 $ 59,562 $ 1,856,616 Gail A. Lione Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary /Chief Compliance Officer 2007 $ 387,014 $ — $ 393,376 $ 308,060 $ — $ 153,000 $ 39,759 $ 1,281,209 2006 $ 353,715 $ — $ 357,978 $ 359,472 $ 334,260 $ 173,000 $ 40,867 $ 1,619,292 Ronald M.Hutchinson (5) Senior Vice President, Product Development- Motor Company 2007 $ 346,305 $ — $ 402,134 $ 246,387 $ — $ 281,000 $ 34,958 $ 1,310,784 2006 $ 325,396 $ — $ 320,249 $ 287,763 $ 143,174 $ 247,000 $ 36,622 $ 1,360,203 (1) We have calculated the compensation related to stock and option awards pursuant to Statement of Financial Accounting Standard Number 123 (revised) (“SFAS No. 123R”). Under SFAS No. 123R, an issuer recognizes the grant date fair value of an award over the requisite service period. For purposes of this calculation, we exclude the impact of forfeitures until they actually occur. No NEOs forfeited awards during 2007. We based the fair value of stock awards on the market price of the shares awarded on the date of grant (which considers the value of dividends that the holder of restricted shares is entitled to receive). We calculated the fair values of option awards that we granted in 2005 and later using a binomial lattice model. We calculated the fair value of option awards that we granted prior to 2005 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Refer to Note 8 of our 2007 financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, for details regarding assumptions we used to value the option awards. (2) NEOs earned non-equity incentive plan compensation during 2006 and received the awards in 2007. NEOs did not earn non-equity incentive plan compensation in 2007. (3) The amounts in this column represent the aggregate change in the actuarial present value of each NEO’s accumulated benefit under all defined benefit and actuarial pension plans (including supplemental plans) from the pension plan measurement date used for financial statement reporting purposes with respect to our audited financial statements for 2006 to the pension plan measurement date used for financial statement reporting purposes with respect to our audited financial statements for 2007. (4) During 2007, Mr. Ziemer received cash payments of $29,600 in lieu of receiving certain perquisites and personal benefits and a non-qualified deferred compensation plan matching contribution of $36,269. The remaining balance of all other compensation consists of a 401(k) matching contribution and a tax gross-up related to the value of death benefits. *The above executive compensation data is an excerpt from the proxy statement filed for Harley Davidson Inc on 4/1/2008

Tim P. - Harley/York, PA  July 19, 2009 02:22 PM
Harley Corporate has announced possible York, PA plant closing because of cost structure at York. Comments are: *CEO Wandell should show costs of all Harley plants in comparison including Kansas City, Tomahawk,WI plants, Milwaukee engine and transmission plants and Buell operations. *York,PA plant had been the catalyst for 20 years of record sales for Harley-Davidson allowing for new plants at Kansas City,Tomahawk,Pilgrim Road and Softail plant at York. *CEO Wandell says that York has to streamline operations. I know he is a new CEO, but where has he been? York has been making permanent job cuts - the Touring frame and paint shops are being shutdown and consolidated at the newer, leaner, more efficient Softail plant at York. Eventually the Touring assembly line will be consolidated at Softail plant also. The York operations has not had a chance to even calculate cost efficincies and savings with head count reductions and these consolidations and Wandell announces possible York closing. *Union knows it will have to negotiate concessions in next contract. They have seen what has happened in auto industry and across the world. Only teachers and government workers are guaranteed raises and pensions anymore. *CEO Wandell has stated that both management and union are to blame. Management for giving too much at contract negotiations, not driving and managing workforce and the union for not being flexible on job classifications, maintenance outsourcing issues, etc.. *Hey, this is the give and take of labor/management negotiations. Now that the whole world id in the tank, changes have to be made. As with everything else, when times are good and profits are up, everyone gets lazy, fat and happy - management and union both.

Tom - HD & Unions  July 14, 2009 08:08 PM
Hey Timmy B, It is because of Unions that non union workers in this country enjoy medical benefits, good wages and a 40 hour work week (not to mention vacation and child labor laws). Union workers literally gave their blood so yahoos like yourself could enjoy fair working conditions. Unfortunately the anti worker republican party has eroded many of the gains made by unions, and they will continue to do so until all workers in this country are like the poor slobs in the southern right to work states. The trickle down theory of economics which began in the Regan era, does not work. Their is a huge disparity of wealth in this nation, which over the past 8 years has become more and more evident. Yes, buisness owners and companies do deserve to make a profit, and a good profit. But they also have a responsibility to the American Worker by providing good wages, health care and a safe work place (all fought for by unions). Take a good look at legislation that has been passed during Republican controlled White House and Congress, and you will see a windfall for Buisness and a down turn for the American Worker.

toby - greed  May 21, 2009 02:46 AM
@ucking greed... unions are all about greed... line workers do not deserve to earn $50000 per year plus $100 paid benefits.. here is a message to the line workers, IF YOU WANT TO EARN THE BIG BUCKS $$$$$$ YOU SHOULS HAVE STAYED IN SCHOOL ...$$$$ hehe i guess im talking to myself, because i quite 3.5 years ago. i worked for harley as a welder and decide to go to college like the CEO'S did ......if i want to earn the big $$$$$$$$$$$$ SCHOOL IS COOL... YEAH SOMEDAY WITH MY HARD WORK I WILL SURPASS ALL THE MIDDLE CLASS.... that goes for all you lower working class folks.... go to @ucking school, stop blaming the rich for your uneducated life.

HD Hater - Raymond Fulton - Union Labor  May 19, 2009 09:25 AM
Ray your world travels are very interesting credentials for a union man, but lets get one thing straight Labor Unions are a thing of the past. Long gone are the days of unsafe work environments and over worked Americans. The labor unions reward the lazy workers with the hard workers dues. Maybe if Harley made a motorcycle that was worth a damn they would be in a better position, as far as reliability you would be nuts to get a HD over a cruiser from Japan. I know this inst what the "live to ride, ride to live crowd" wants to hear but hey the truth doesn't always come with style points. Which brings up my next question, why is it that every 50 year old man that rides a HD thinks that they are some kinda bad ass motorcyclist. HD attracts some of the worst riders on the planet and they all think that the Sunday morning ride is a Halloween costume party. come on guys get over the loud pipes because they don't save lives. Most HD riders are nothing more than low life wannabes.

Raymond Fulton - Union Labor  May 16, 2009 09:55 PM
This is to clowns that think the unions are ruining this country. I have worked union and nonunion down here in Florida, a right to work state. I have also lived in Japan and traveled to Singapore,Korea, and the other manufacturing countries that make cheaper products such as cars, motorcycles, and T.V.s. First you can't compare our salaries to those countries, excepting Japan with its sky high housing costs, the basic cost of living is much cheaper. For instance, here in the states you have insurance and user fees to Hell and back, such is not the case elsewhere. If you think 30.00 dollars per hour is really living, your blinded by this capitalistic b.s. they feed you every day. Wake up America, other countries blatently copy our products and make them cheaper, not necessarily better. I've worked in manufacturing over 2 decades and the one killer of our sytem is lack of feedback, a customer complains, the engineers balk or do a half assed fix to maximize profit for the short term. For christ sakes can they (HD) make an exhaust that doesn't burn your right pantsleg? or a wiring harness that shows some thought and concealment? Contrary to what these owners say, most have little real true experience with their product or they're total dumbasses- and they make the real money. So, if a poor laborer is making a few bucks don't begrudge him/her, place your hate on the owners and CEO's, -Learn Chinese now, your going to need it for product information. So, next week try to fix something you see wrong, maybe that will change this economic crisis we are in.

D. Logan - What do you expect?  May 15, 2009 11:36 AM
Harley's real profits are in merchandising. It's a sad matter of fact that H-D hardly made any money at all on their bike sales. The recent economic downturn as of late has dried up discretionary incomes and loans necessary for such purchases. Harley has also been strapped by the gaurenteed 4% pay increase every year, plus 100% health care payments mandated by the latest union contracts. This I'm sure has put a severe cramp on their budgets. You think the union would have learned better, after the Catapillar plant closed in York.

Crunchysmooth - Tough call  May 13, 2009 07:35 PM
Each year wages, taxes, operating costs, raw materials and etc. go up but Harley sales have recently had a slow but steady decline. This is a problem most all American manufacturing businesses have been facing for a number of years now. The current recession we are in is putting businesses out of business that were otherwise surviving on very small margins. If Harley-Davidson moves the York plant operations to another state in the USA it will be a simple case of six in one hand and a half dozen in the other hand. The closing of the York plant may be unavoidable if the current economic trends continue but the real concern should not be so much about if the York plant is closed but where or when the new one will be opened. Somehow, I don’t think Harley-Davidson has the option to move operations over the border or over seas like GM and the likes are currently doing.