Wow...
Poor union guys... Welcome to the rest of the world. The UAW will be cracked and their people will have to deal with the harsh reality of a stagnent economy like the rest of us. I work in Engineering at GM and my last day is next week. Guess how much I get helped by my company when I get let go? oh... I don't.. Neither do any of the other white collar workers here who dont have a lot of seniority. The days of milking the system are coming to an end.
I do have sympathy for the retirees who based their lives on an understanding that they would be taken care of by the company upon retirement. I dont think 401k plans were around in the 70s, 80s when most of the retires probably started the their jobs. haha
There was once a need for the union, it has however, outlived its usefulness.