Font ResizeBut keeping Harley here is not yet a certainty.
When the company said in May that it was considering moving its York plant, it eventually named the possible sites that might call Harley home. Early in the process, the company eliminated Kansas City, Mo., where it already has a plant. And then, last week, it announced it had narrowed it choices down to York and Shelbyville, Ky., rejecting sites in Mufreesboro, Tenn., and Shelbyville, Ind.
That was good news, but any celebration may be a little premature.
There is still the chance that Harley will move to Kentucky. But with last week's announcement, and indications from the union at Harley that it is more than willing to do what it takes to keep the company and its jobs here, it appears that Harley may not be going anywhere.
To steal a baseball metaphor -- and with sincere to apologies to Phillies fans -- it looked bleak, as if the home team was behind by two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and Phillies outfielder Ben Francisco is up to bat against Yankees star reliever Mariano Rivera.
Now the home team is still down two runs, but the bases are loaded and Phils slugger Chase Utley is up to bat against a slumping Joba Chamberlain.
The odds
Harley spokesman Bob Klein said the decision to narrow the company's options was based on a number of factors, from site selection to the composition of the available workforce. He declined to go into detail, but we'd like to think that York has a number of these factors on its side.
Harley already owns the site here and not too long ago made a significant investment in the plant, updating the factory and its grounds. It already has a trained, skilled workforce in place. Both of those factors, you would think, would weigh heavily in York's favor. Moving to Kentucky and starting from scratch would be costly and time-consuming.
So York has that going for it.
As does the news that Harley and its union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, are continuing to negotiate a new deal that would allow Harley to change work rules and reduce expenses.
From the beginning, there were rumblings at the plant that Harley's threat to move was a negotiating ploy, a way to strong-arm the union into accepting concessions. There may be some validity to that. But it's also valid that Harley appeared serious about its threat, working with other states to find and evaluate sites.
There still is some evidence that York cannot relax now. The Sentinel-News in Shelby County, Ky., reported that authorities there have been talking to a large manufacturer about relocating to Kentucky. Although it did not name the company, it was widely assumed to be Harley. Officials of technical schools in the area cited the possibility of Harley coming to town to argue for increased funding. The Shelby County Fiscal Court rezoned a large tract of land from agricultural to industrial.
These sound like the steps taken by a community interested in attracting Harley.
Pennsylvania is also interested. Gov. Ed Rendell and other elected officials have pledged to do whatever it takes to assist Harley and convince the company to stay here.
Certainly, Harley will change. There will be fewer jobs. The company has unveiled a restructuring plan that would outsource a lot of the work at the plant, a move that would cost hundreds of jobs. The workers who remain will have to settle for a lower standard of living.
Some of the shine on Harley will be tarnished in the eyes of the community. The company is a big part of our economic and cultural life. It now appears, if Harley stays, its role and stature in our community will be slightly diminished.
This is the reality of the new economy. Harley needs to compete; its ability to bank on its name and mystique can no longer carry it. And workers have to be willing to accept that and adapt to this brave new world.
It's a shame, but that's the way the world works.
But if the alternative is losing Harley altogether, it will just be something we all have to accept.
