You summed it up nicely and succinctly. It's not about unions or pensions, "it's the cars, stupid."
Amen. While I hate the unions, the real problem here is that GM is producing a line of shoddy, unattractive vehicles.
I mean, have you seen some of the crap that the Pontiac division is producing? No wonder this company is failing.
I wholeheartedly disagree and here's why. Some years ago, shortly after I graduated college, I took a job with a major fire alarm manufacturer. One of my first job assignments was to install some fire alarm components at the GM plant in Doraville, GA.
I arrived at the shipping dock and started to unload my van with the various components I was to install. I was immediately stopped by a UAW dockworker who informed me that I could not unload my vehicle because I was taking work away from a union worker. I had to fill out a request to get a union dockworker to unload my parts onto a cart. After roughly an hour and a half the dockworker finally showed up and loaded my parts onto a cart. I started pushing the cart towards the area where I was to do my work and I was told that I could not push my own cart because I was taking work away from a union worker. After filling out another request and waiting another hour a union cart pusher finally showed up and pushed my cart full of part to the first area where I was to install my stuff. As I started to install my components, I was told by a supervisor that I could not do what I was doing because I was taking work away from a union electrician. Another request for an electrician was filled out and I waited another hour and a half for this guy to show up. This union "professional" didn't have a clue as to how to install my parts, but I was required to have him present because to do otherwise would be taking work away from a union worker, even though he didn't lift a finger to help with the install. It went on like this all day. Long story short, instead of what should have taken about 2 hours to install wound up taking all day and part of the next. Needless to say, my non-union employer was not at all pleased.
GM's problems are multifaceted, but the union influence, IMO, is by far their worst enemy. With the attitude I experienced at this union controlled plant, along with several others I worked in, it is no wonder GM can't compete on a global scale.
Frame it however you want, but you can't build any competitive widget with $3,000 per unit of union pensions and healthcare costs in it. People wanna buy a car, not beer for old wrench spinners in U.P.