Workers at the Honda assembly plant in Lincoln, Ala., have teamed up with the United Auto Workers to try and unionize there.
Alabama Media Group reports that last week, in a letter mailed to its 4,000 employees, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama mentioned the union activity.
The company said that the plant does not need a union because teamwork, open communication and flexibility are already in place and its unionized competitors aren’t faring as well.
"We believe the evidence shows union operations are not as strong and secure as what we enjoy at HMA," the letter states. "For those reasons, we believe a union is not necessary at HMA."
According to the article, Honda is claiming that the UAW in Detroit is behind the Alabama union drive. UAW secretary-treasurer Gary Casteel, however, said that local Honda employees decided on their own to unionize and requested assistance from the national UAW.
The plant produces the Honda Odyssey minivan, Pilot SUV and Acura MDX Suv, and is scheduled to start producing the Honda Ridgeline pickup.
According to data from the Center for Automotive Research, labor costs for unionized Fiat Chrysler are about the same as Toyota and Honda, and about $10 less per hour than Ford and General Motors.
