Earlier this week, we told you that Harley-Davidson might be laying off some employees in the near future. Recently, a spokesperson for the company said that it would have to cut $54 million in costs from its plants in Tomahawk and Milwaukee, and Wisconsin lawmakers are starting to worry what kind of effect that will have on jobs in the state.
There's a lot of finger pointing going on, with Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald blaming the democrats for passing a corporate tax bill that cost Harley $22.5 million during the biggest recession in decades.
Meanwhile, Governor Jim Doyle and Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee, have been passing out tax credits like Halloween candy to attract jobs to the state. Barrett also went on to say that the state needs more "adult leadership" and fewer people who criticize those who bring in jobs to score "cheap points."
Still, Harley has some tough choices to make in the near future. The $54 million has to come from somewhere, and union leaders are fearing a repeat of what happened last year at Harley's plant in York, Pennsylvania. In York, half of jobs at the plant were cut as part of a deal that kept the plant operating. The governor's office released a statement saying that Doyle will work with Harley to ensure the Wisconsin plants -- and the jobs that go along with them -- will stay in state.
Bob Klein, Harley's spokesman, said that the company prefers to stay in Wisconsin, but is also willing to explore other sites in the U.S.
