Honda announced Thursday it will once again extend its production suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A company statement indicated production at its automobile, engine and transmission plants in North America will be suspended for an additional week, through May 8.
The current, two-week furlough period is also being extended another week.
For associates in Ohio, furlough days began Sunday, April 19 and associates were scheduled to return to work May 4.
According to a company statement released Thursday, the majority of salaried and support associates at Honda operations in the U.S. will now return to work on May 8 or 11, depending on their location.
Honda initially announced it would suspend production from March 23 through March 30 and the company would “continue to provide opportunities for associates to be paid.”
As the shutdown extended, Honda announced it would pay associates for some of the time off and allow them to use accrued or expected vacation to cover the loss of pay.
On April 6, the company said it would not continue to pay associates during the production suspension.
“These unprecedented circumstances require that we take some difficult actions in order to cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Honda spokesperson Chris Abbruzzese said at the time. “This includes implementing No Work Available (NWA) days during the continued production suspension in our plants.”
While the company will not be paying employees, he said, “all Honda associates will continue to receive their Honda benefits during this time.”
The company is also helping associates apply for government assistance while they are not receiving paychecks.
Abbruzzese said federal aid, along with state benefits, “will provide associates substantial income replacement during this temporary suspension of production.”
The production suspension impacts about 27,600 Honda associates in North America, including 4,100 associates at Marysville Auto Plant and 100 associates at Performance Manufacturing Center.
Honda said the extended shutdown suspension is being implemented “in order to align product supply with a lack of market demand.”
It is expected the company will reduce production by nearly 250,000 vehicles. The company said there has been “continued steep decline in sales across the automobile and powersports industries.”
Ohio plants impacted include the Marysville Auto Plant, Performance Manufacturing Center, East Liberty Auto Plant, Honda of America Mfg. Anna Engine Plant and Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America. The production suspension also includes manufacturing plants in Indiana, Alabama, Georgia and Canada.