UAW Turns Focus To Honda

About 9,000 of Honda’s 13,000 employees there would be represented by the union, according to an Associated Press report. However, the UAW has not yet successfully organized any American auto plant that is completely foreign-owned.

The UAW tried to organize the Honda plants in the 1980s, as did the Teamsters in 1999.

Honda has auto plants in Marysville and East Liberty, where workers build the Accord, Civic and Acura, a motorcycle factory in Marysville and engine plant in Anna.

By law, organizers need signed union authorization cards or petitions from at least 30% of the proposed bargaining unit before they can ask the National Labor Relations Board to schedule a vote. However, UAW organizer Frank White says the union wants support from at least 65% of Honda workers before proceeding with a vote, according to the report.

Temporary Concerns

Pay and benefits don?t seem to be at issue at Honda. Rather, it?s the firm?s deployment of about 1,000 temporary workers ? workers that make about half the wages of a similarly tenured full-time worker at Honda and who are on the payroll for two years or longer. Those workers have no guarantee of full-time employment.

Other union issues include worker representation in work disputes, more protection for injured workers and more consistent enforcement of work rules.

See Also Nissan Workers Overwhelmingly Reject Union at http://www.plansponsor.com/eprise/main/PlanSponsor/News/HR/nissanrejectsUAW