I believe the unions won’t care... anything to screw management... and when the craft gets a bunch of know nothing supervisiors and engineers in the plant they can just flim flam them... I have seen this before.
In 2007, the H-D Plant was struck and shut down for weeks, over a two-tier wage system mgmt wanted in place for new hires (lower wages/benefits) and established-tenure employees (higher wages/benefits).
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/feb/2/20070202-100151-5155r/
By 2012, massive change had come: half the facility had been removed and the land is still for sale for industrial use.
Half the employees are gone into other plants — Indian, other H-D locations, early buy-outs and retirements, other mfgrs — but the plant is much more efficient and quality is markedly up, to customers’ delight and industry reviews.
The unions were shown to be what they’ve been good at: delays, problems, line shutdowns, parts shortages, poor pre-planning etc.
Mgmt is in charge of all physical campuses, inventory, marketing, sales, all decisions and they’ve solidified their grip on the corporate QC, and have edged the unions into a well-lit corner, to keep an eye on them.
The mgmt investment to date simply won’t allow second rate H1B-Visa immigrants to ruin what’s in-place and functioning superbly, and which model is being exported to all of H-Ds other operations.
http://www.jsonline.com/business/harley-plant-undergoes-whirlwind-of-change-vc4srit-146568165.html
While not a pleasant alternative, HD mgmt has shown that they can replace all union personnel and still turn out quality product, after adequate training, and other plants’ workers are brought in to work and supervise the low-tier hires.
Whether it’ll happen is another matter.