A new Honda factory in Guangzhou represents the latest challenge to American auto makers and their employees - the entry of China into the auto export market. Workers at the new Honda plant earn roughly $1.50 an hour in wages and benefits, compared with $55 an hour for General Motors and Ford factories in the United States. As G.M. and Ford struggle with high health care costs for unionized work forces with an average age of nearly 50 in the United States, most of the Honda workers here appear to be in their 20's. The cheap labor provided by a developing country presents yet another significant challenge to American workers in an era of globalization.
See "China's Debut as Auto Exporter Signals Growing Challenge to U.S.", Keith Bradsher, The New York Times, June 27, 2005