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Workers at the Honda auto assembly plant in Talladega County build the Acura MDX SUV and Honda's Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV. The Honda Ridgeline pickup will soon rejoin the lineup. (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com)
There's a new effort to organize a United Auto Workers union at Honda's auto assembly plant in Talladega County.
Late last week, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama mailed a letter to its 4,000-plus employees that notes the UAW activity. In the letter, obtained by AL.com, the company says a union is not needed at the Lincoln plant.
Honda says it is successful because of teamwork, open communication and flexibility. The company also says its unionized competitors have faced bankruptcies, plant closures and job losses.
"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."
Honda says union recruiters financed by the UAW in Detroit have returned to Alabama and are trying to form a union at the Lincoln plant.
But the UAW says the interest in the union is coming from Honda employees.
"Employees at Honda have expressed their interest in forming a local union and we'll help them explore their options under the law," said Gary Casteel, secretary-treasurer of the UAW and director of the union's transnational department. "The decision on whether to form a local union is made by employees, but we'll provide assistance at their request."
Casteel added that UAW local unions have been active for a long time at various parts suppliers in Alabama.
"Employees at those sites have benefited from improved working conditions," he said.
Local unions do not initially have the right to bargain contracts with the company. Instead, their goal is to build a majority membership over time and then seek to negotiate with the company, without a formal election. Members do not pay dues until after the first official contract.
Local unions also have taken on a significant role in the UAW's most recent efforts to gain a foothold in the South's growing auto industry, which remains largely non-union.
UAW membership, which has grown in recent years, now stands at about 400,000. But that's down from a peak of 1.5 million members in 1979, and many see the South as crucial to the union's longterm survival.
Last year, the UAW narrowly lost a vote to represent workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. In the following months, it set up a local union there.
A similar strategy is in place at Alabama's Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa County. Over the years, there have been several attempts to form a UAW union there, but there has never been enough support to file for an election. Last fall, the UAW and pro-union workers announced the formation of a local union, which making steady progress, the UAW says.
Union leaders have described local unions as an evolutionary approach, one that is not defined by the flashpoint of success or failure that comes with a vote.
As for the union activity at Honda, several Facebook pages have been formed by employees on both sides of the issue.
Concerns raised by pro-union workers in those forums include the lack of a voice in workplace issues, including pay, benefits and shift schedules.
The plant's use of temporary workers is another issue. Automakers commonly employ temps to manage the ups the downs of market demand, but the practice has come under fire when those lower-paid workers are used for an extended time.
Meanwhile, anti-union workers say the UAW has nothing good to offer, and Honda has been good to them. For example, the company shifted new work to the plant, and kept them employed, when sales of its products tanked during the recession in 2008 and 2009.
Honda says no full-time Honda employee in North America has ever faced a layoff. The temporary workforce, however, has been cut when production falls.
In its letter to employees, the company noted the current strong demand for its products, as the U.S. light truck market is surging.
The Alabama plant produces Honda's Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV, along with the Acura MDX SUV. The Honda Ridgeline pickup will soon rejoin the lineup.
This fall, several departments at the plant are scheduled to work several Saturdays to meet strong demand for the redesigned 2016 Pilot.
Meeting customer demand is the primary focus of the plant right now, said Ted Pratt, a Honda spokesman in Lincoln.
The issue of union representation is ultimately up to employees, he said, but Honda's U.S. vehicle plants have a history of rejecting the UAW.
"For more than 35 years, Honda manufacturing operations in America have demonstrated an outstanding track record of success based on fundamental principles of teamwork, mutual respect and open communication," Pratt said.