Port labor dispute hits Honda

TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. will cut output at two North American factories from Feb. 24 through March 2, cutting production by 5,000 cars due to a disruption in parts shipments caused by a protracted labor dispute at West Coast ports.

Two Ohio plants and one plant in Canada returned to normal production as the auto parts came in by air, but an Indiana plant and another in Canada still have to trim output, company spokeswoman Misato Fukushima said Friday in Tokyo headquarters.

Production from Feb. 16 to Feb. 23 was already cut by 20,000 cars because all five plants were affected. The disruptions have mainly affected the company's popular Civic model, Fukushima said.

Talks over a new contract have been delayed for dockworkers at West Coast ports, stranding billions of dollars of cargo on ships.