Did they insist on no pay cuts and benefits totaling their wages at 50-60 an hour? What is going to happen now? Would it have been better if they took a pay cut?
To give a brief answer to your question, the UAW (United Auto Workers Union), has become more of a political brokerage than a Union over the years. They are very much a part of the downfall of the US auto industry. The UAW is the reason that A) unskilled labor gets $42 an hour to make cars when the entire process is done via machines. B) The guy who works grave shift who sweeps a broom gets $22 an hour to sweep the floor. The UAW IS EVIL @@@!!!!!!!!