Harley-Davidson has started sending pink slips to hourly workers in Wisconsin, according to Chicago Tribune.
The motorcycle manufacturer is looking to reduce the full-time headcount at its Milwaukee-area plants by about 26%, and hire more seasonal workers, the newspaper said.
Harley-Davidson spokeswoman Maripat Blankenheim said the company would wait until the Dec. 23 deadline before deciding whether to implement involuntary layoffs.
Harley-Davidson, based in Milwaukee, has been retooling several aspects of its business since Keith Wandell became chief executive in 2009. In addition to restructuring its workforce and factories, the company has begun focusing on attracting a wider range of buyers in the United States and emerging markets, added the Tribune.