Harley-Davidson Motor Co. said Thursday that it halted production at its largest assembly plant after workers there rejected a proposed three-year contract and authorized a strike that could begin early Friday. The workers at the motorcycle maker's York, Pennsylvania, plant voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to reject a proposed new contract that called for lower wages and benefits for new workers and forced all union-represented workers to pay more for health insurance. The 2,798 York workers, who are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175, also voted to authorize a strike beginning a minute after midnight, when the current contract expires.
See "Strike threat leaves Harley plant in dust", Reuters, CNN Money, January 31, 2007