Thanks for that interesting post, and I agree enthusiastically with your concluding paragraph.
To be fair to GM and the truth, they were fighting an uphill battle against the UAW and the Federal Government which backed them every step of the way. The reason for this is obvious: the UAW controlled a heck of a lot more voters than did GM’s management.
The union/voter/government dynamic is one that leads inexorably to the off-shoring of relatively high-paid jobs that might have been available for persons with meager educational qualifications.
The ever-increasing power of knowledge, and of those who have it, leads to an ever shrinking number of choices for those who don’t. The union equation, which started long before Walter Reuther, just hastens the progress of that dynamic.
Comparing the current American educational system to that of Japan, China and Europe, It is no wonder why the US is losing so quickly.
In today's complex/technical manufacturing realm, the average American can't come close to having the necessary education and training to meet the requirements of these manufacturers. It also has a great deal to with worker attitude and work ethics. Our educational system has done the opposite of what needs to be done to correct it.
Americans are by far, at the very bottom of all categories. There is no way that we can change this dynamic in time to turn it around. Especially as quickly as this thing has deteriorated.
I tend to take a look at Unions, as I do anything, be it an workforce, a selective society or club, a food additive, or an appliance. What ‘good’ do they perform? Does their ‘good’ outweigh their ‘cost’?
The USA used to have a thriving textile industry; it became Unionized (and celebrated in several movies, featuring all the big ‘stars’). Remember the “Look for the Union Label” jingles on TV and the radio? Funny, no significant textile industry in the USA anymore, it’s moved out of the country. Unions killed it.
We used to have a thriving Rail Road system. Unions killed that too. Steel Industry? Dead. Electronics manufacturing industries? Mining? Garmet and Newspaper? Dead and gone.
The only unions left, are still stuck in their parasitical ways. The Aircraft building industry (Boeing, Lockheed, Martin and the others - are consolidating and/or going under). The Travel Industy has filed for bankrupcy already, we have seen Delta emerge from bankrupcy, as did Contineantal and others. Unions are sucking that industry dry.
The UAW has killed Pontiac, and it looks like Chrysler is gone too. GM is living on taxpayer sponsored - borrowed time, just like Chrysler.
Want your industry to fail, to have all of your employees laid off, and to see yet another industry move over-seas? Just Unionize.