Um, NO...the UAW did that long before this shmoe showed up.
No doubt this is correct. In the good times, the unions got more than was prudent. In the bad times hey were reluctant to give it up. But... that's what unions are supposed to do. Its up to management to hold the line and that just didn't happen at GM during the "good times." Even before Wagoner (he's the scape goat). But, looking at the incentives they kept offering to keep sales numbers up and looking at the employee driven contingent liabilities and extended benefit costs, they just didn't care as long as they were selling cars. It was unfair to customers and unfair to the rank & file as they came to expect Santa every year.
The problem is, labor and management have to be integrated into an "organization" that either sinks or swims based on operational efficiency and marginal cost at market price. This labor vs. management (capitalism vs communism) is Sooooo 1900s and has destroyed American competitiveness. Japan, China and Europe get it.
No, it wasn’t only the UAW’s fault. Management had to agree to those contracts. Management opened new plants that were not necessary. Management created the debt structure. Management saw the signs that the finance arm was subsidizing the auto-making arm of GM a decade ago - and they were very slow to deal with that.
Wagoner suffers from being a Harvard MBA, the scourge of American business and industry. They’re the most over-educated, under-informed clowns in the world of management, finance and C-level executive leadership today. If there were any justice, the “Harvard MBA” would become a kiss of death to all of these clowns’ careers and no one would ever, EVER employ these morons ever again.