It appears, no matter what Honda does in Decatur County its actions are going to attract detractors. Within some circles, the international auto manufacturer has an image problem.
During much of this banter, Honda officials sat by and let the criticism flow off its back like rain from a freshly waxed Civic. That has all changed.
When the Wall Street Journal published a story last week titled "Honda and UAW Clash Over New Factory Jobs" the silence was ended. The story pointed out what the reporter thought was "Honda's unusual hiring restriction" and said the company "effectively kept auto workers with UAW membership cards out of their factories, hampering the union from gaining any foothold where the jobs are."
This prompted a response from Jeffrey A. Smith, assistant vice president, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Smith wrote a letter to the editor of the WSJ and also submitted it to the Greensburg Daily News.
In addition to his letter, Honda representatives say they want to set the record straight.
"There were a lot of inaccuracies in that reporting that don't reflect our real reasons for selecting Decatur County," said Honda's Andrew Stoner. "We're here not because Greensburg was on our least-offensive list but because it was on our best choice list. Greensburg was a good choice for us from a business sense. There was land available, the government was willing to work with us on infrastructure for transportation, there is a ready and able workforce and it is close to our suppliers."
Honda expanded on some of those reasons and touched on others when contacted Tuesday.
They say they require applicants for production associate positions reside within a 20-county area in Indiana for the following reasons: "On-time attendance is critical to our ability to maintain a production schedule and we want our associates to get to work on time and safely," a statement read. "Therefore, we desire to maintain a safe driving distance of no more than 60 minutes for all production associates. This is particularly relevant when the Indiana weather makes driving times unpredictable."
Diversity was also a factor.
"This hiring area was intentionally designed to include a diverse population in Marion County, so we can proactively work to achieve a diverse workforce," the response continued. "This limit allows us to keep the hiring area within the state of Indiana. A commitment to diversity is fundamental to Honda's corporate philosophy and hiring minority workers and inclusion of minority-owned businesses from the local community are fundamental to our business plan in Indiana. Ultimately, the community will be in a position to judge us based upon our actions; and we will be accountable and responsible in our inclusiveness."
The sheer numbers of applicants also showed there was a great interest in working for Honda of Indiana despite the fact it is not a UAW plant. Within the two-week employment application window, established by Honda, it received more than 30,000 applications for approximately 2,000 positions.
"Avoid unions? We wouldn't know how," Stoner said. "Honda associates can look at a union anytime they want and have in Ohio and Alabama. Each time, the associates have decided the union could not do more for them than what Honda already does. Respect for the individual is the key for us and can be applied in many ways. They include; the pay we offer, the benefits, a safe working environment, opportunities to advance and are their concerns being listened to and addressed? If their needs weren't being met they certainly would seek out an outside resource but, up to this point, they've always chosen to work directly with the company."
While Smith and Stoner hope these points help people better understand their hiring practices, it is unlikely the criticism will end.
"It's always a struggle to get the facts out and to have your message heard," Stoner said. "We understand there are issues out there but it is frustrating when the facts are skewed. Like the story a while back that said land owners in Decatur County didn't want to sell. It reminds me of going into the RCA Dome, finding one guy wearing a Bengals jersey and asking him how the game went. All the while, ignoring the other 55,000 people in the building."