every now and then, a commentor forgets just who the hell he's talking to.

You seem to be siding with the union. Does that mean you support their demand of a 46% pay increase and overtive (sic) for every hour over 32 hours per week? Can you explain how that is economically feasible?
Remarked "Curious" 

So, ok, here's my answer.

Let me dust off my masters in economics and show the charts and graphs where the union demand makes sense. 

OR, you can grow the hell up, and take a breath, and get some big picture context of a contract negotiation, plus a broad view of macro economics, AND some insight on 7 figure salary upper management of the corporations involved. 

OR, you can look at the average union worker's income, vs inflation, and how if they don't make something around 10% raise per year, effectively they make less each year as the cost of living, commuting to work, etc goes more expensive where they have stagnant wages. 

The only job of corporate upper management is to make the company more profitable, mostly, that results in employee layoffs, leveraged buyouts, mergers, and acquisitions (is my take on it) and yet, NOT to make a better car, a more profitable car, a car (or truck) that more people want to buy instead of the competitions car. Yet, Ford can't figure out how to make a car anymore, and unless it's a Mustang, they make trucks. (Am I wrong?) The company that put the world on wheels, can't figure out how to make a damn car that will sell more than all the competition that has come along in it's wake, learning from Henry's era of mass production and interchangeable parts. 

Upper management at GM, Ford, and Stellantis (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat) are making 7 figures, to simply earn their employer more profit at the quarterly and annual stock report meetings. Not make better cars, or cheaper cars. Just profit. 

Why is that relevant? Because so is the leadership of the union. 

Get the parallel? The union has a mission, to get the best deal for it's membership, and the corporate suits are out to get the most profit for stock holders, I support all involved in their capitalist motive to make more money. 

BUT, I also have the notion that EVERYONE non-union, all the "exempt" management, ought to be concerned with making vehicles, as a priority, over profits, that will lead to profits, and earnings for the union workers, by making vehicles that will outsell the competition. 

Each of the corporations involved HAVE A CENTURY of business acumen to learn from. There isn't much new in designing cars. They have 2 or 4 doors, an engine, a transmission, 4 wheels, brakes, cooling, airbags, air conditioning, and a stereo. 

Just put all those university degrees to work and focused on making a car that can be mass manufactured with the requirements that the federal govt have in place for crash specs (haven't changed a lot in decades) and gas mileage, for COMMUTERS. The speed limit in the USA is maxed out at 80, so, they don't need to be 200 mph. They don't need to be sub 4 second 0-60. They don't need to be 5000 pounds or more, 3 foot of clearance under the frame, over 24 feet long. 

The world needs commuters, not SUVs. 2 doors, 40 mpg or better, 4 or 5 star safety specs, with AC and a stereo, that isn't polluting out the tail pipe. 

The automotive world has made them in the past, and so there isn't a lot of redesign needed to make them better. 

Also, the point about 32 hour work week, hell, I'm all for a 4 day work week, either 32 hours a week, or 4-10s. 9-80 is good too. Plus holidays, a health care plan, etc. It's been done, it's easy to see examples around the more progressive socially focused countries. After all, no one gets a pension except white collar management. So, it's not like the companies are losing profits to pensions. They figured out (GM prime example) that was a long term losing concept. Robots replaced workers, and didn't pay into the pension system. 

But it's not my job to answer your demand. I'm Just A Car Guy. Not an economics professor, so head over to the university, ask the prof. That won't likely get you an answer either. They aren't involved in answering questions or solving problems. They too, have a focus, and that's to teach the syllabus, and publish books to get tenure. 

If you side with the union, so soon after Labor Day, coincidentally, you'll remember that Henry Ford hired goons and the police department to shoot striking union members. Tanks rolled in California to kill dock workers on strike. Unions, not corporations or companies, are the only ones looking out for blue collar workers, who trade labor for paychecks.

I'm not catagorically pro-union. Police union for example. I'm anti police union. You are probably for the police union. Just exactly who is the police union confronting over a contract? The city, the mayor? Like the police union has to do a damn thing to get a contract agreed to. Sit back, have a brat and a beer, and wait for the crime to prove to the elected leaders that it's time to get people arrested, and bingo, the police union gets a signature on the contract. 

Auto union though? They're shit out of luck. There is no union in Mexico, China, Korea (as far as I know) to push back on workplace safety issues, hourly earnings that make sense, etc, and the corporations have ALWAYS wanted to move manufacturing to other countries and away from the American middle class. Because PROFITS are more important to corporations than ANYTHING. Ford bought or partnered with European and Japanese companies, so did Chrysler. And Italian companies. And for all I know, Mexican, Brazilian, and Australian. 

I have no idea if Harley, Polaris, Can Am, etc are UAW union shops, but the many vehicles made in the USA that don't require a helmet are viable options for expensive vehicles. So is Tesla. 

I don't think the entire list of American car makers is UAW, so, if you are anti UAW, buy from them. I think it's easy to see that the immigration from Mexico, and Central America, etc is flooding into this country, and will gladly get trained to work car factories. Immigrants have ALWAYS moved to the USA for a better life. New York is SCREWED right now for being such morons to be ultra liberal in inviting illegal immigrants, so is California, WITHOUT having a program for getting them legal, trained, employed, and taxed. NO ONE GIVES A SHIT about where the neighbors are from at the ball game, the BBQ, the dock at the lake about to go fishing, on the dirt roads and trails, or helping out during a hurricane. 

ANYONE can be labor, men, women, people who speak other languages, it doesn't matter. But the govt has NO PLAN on how to put people to work to deal with wildfires, hurricanes, floods, droughts, or every other problem that comes along and costs taxpayers billions in contract work (overtime). So, if the liberals in govt, and the conservatives in business, could come up with a plan, something that gets people to work, earns tax income for the govt, and gets this country back to work producing stuff we all desire for a better life (homes, lanwmowers, boats, shoes, clothes, air conditioners, pot holes fixed (JFC train immigrants to fill potholes, and they'll be welcomed into every state, city and neighborhood), high speed railroads, inexpensive commuter cars, motorcycles)) then the elected officials will finally be doing the only job they are elected for, proper fiscal planning and operation of the country for a better life for all citizens of it. 

I figure, either we support having domestic vehicle manufacturing (cars, trucks, trikes, vans, busses, semis, rvs, tractors, dozers, motorcycles, airplanes) or we take notice of Australia's dilemma, of not having a car maker in country. 

No one making cars, bikes, trucks, and no one has a buyer for sparkplugs, (probably already only make outside the USA, I think Champion went to Mexico) alternators, tires (I don't think anyone makes tires in the USA anymore, for bikes, motorcycles, cars, trucks, etc) rims (Ditto) windows, (chrome is gone from the USA I believe) and unless you didn't notice, most of the companies that made car parts are gone, no longer in business in the USA, replaced by made in Japan, China, Mexico, Germany. 

If all vehicle parts companies go out of business, because the big 3 fail (GM and Chrysler proved that it's happened, and will happen again) the chances of getting a job in middle America at anything other than fast food are real bad. 

Steel used to mean Pennsylvania. It's done. See how fast an entire industry fails? Sure, banking will always be the playground of the rich and legacy Harvard, Princeton, Yale families, and politics are the same, but jobs? No one makes toasters, blenders, tvs, radios, etc in the USA. I doubt they make trains (certainly not like the steam locomotive days) and airplanes? Not much competition for 2 seater commuters like 80 years ago. Everything got too expensive, and companies died off. Wright, Curtiss, etc, I doubt they make planes anymore. 

If this country can't make vehicles and vehicle parts, just exactly what is it we are going to make? Bankruptcy papers? 

Can I get a Hooah?