Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson, Inc. will cut 200 regular and casual union positions from its workforce, with the majority of cuts expected to take place in the fourth quarter.
But none of the positions will come from the company’s Pilgrim Road powertrain facility in Menomonee Falls, according to a statement provided by Lisa Giuntoli, Harley director of operations communication.
“The company continually reacts to industry and market changes to provide the best products and services to our customers,” the statement said. “To that end, as we adjust our production plan to align with 2016 guidance, we are making the necessary changes to right-size the company.”
Harley reported a 3.4 percent drop in retail sales of motorcycles in the United States during the first six months of the year, including a 5.2 percent drop in the second quarter. The company said in July it expected to ship 264,000 to 269,000 motorcycles during the year, down from a range of 269,000 to 274,000 after the first quarter.
Matt Levatich, Harley-Davidson president and chief executive officer, said at the time the U.S. market was weaker than the company expected during the second quarter. International sales were actually up 4.3 percent in the quarter.
The cut of 200 positions represents 3.5 percent of the company’s motorcycle segment workforce, which had 5,700 employees at the end of 2015. Another 600 work in financial services.
In addition to Menomonee Falls, Harley has U.S. manufacturing facilities in Tomahawk, Wisconsin; York, Pennsylvania; and Kansas City, Missouri.
