Yeah well please remember unions exist because of past injustices towards workers by business owners...I am married to a GM employee (management), we have seen the unions give concessions and then GM goes and cuts plants and employees anyway. The only reason the so called global economy is being sold to Americans is because of the union bashing that goes with it-divide and conquer.
When? A hundred years ago? Some labor unions may have been founded because of worker mistreatment. Most labor unions exist today to concentrate power in the hands of crooks and thugs. Their main goal is to keep membership up by restricting productivity. Any "benefits" they get for the workers ultimately cost union jobs. Those areas where workers are free of union interference are thriving while forced union membership is killing industries in this country. The "concessions" given by unions don't put the cost of union labor in the fair market range and are usually accompanied by some other benefit which increases the cost of doing business.
American Motors had the worst IR of any US automaker, and in its Kenosha (WI) operation, it was shocking. Eventually AMC wound up with 1 UAW steward for every 10 direct-labor people...and every 2 weeks there was another newspaper report featuring the UAW Local's president....
Then AMC went away and Chrysler entered the scene. Chrysler told the union: look--we say what we mean and we mean what we say. Do the same for us.
Poof!! No more IR problems.
Of course, a couple of years' un- or under-employment also had an impact on the labor union folks.
But GM? They're hopeless. After the SUV's and the Corvette, which GM product line is 'top of the class?'
None. Nobody wants to buy their product.
But all you hear is that "it's the UAW's fault." In the real world, some things ARE the UAW's fault--but not lack of design/engineering imagination...