Übergeek 바둑이: You always take the side against big companies regardless of facts. The big auto companies were losing billions and there was little they could do to cut costs. So your idea that they were greedy is, no offense, dim. What do you think they are in business for? Here's a news flash for ya: They want to make money and lots of it.

But they were losing money. The unions were demanding more money so to compensate, the autos they produced were of lesser quality. Enter the Japanese autos, better and costing less, you had the recipie for disaster.

And labor costs are huge. When you add in all the benefits and when you consider the pay given out to all the retired workers and their spouses, it adds up big time. When you're a company that is losing money, you don't have many options. Big labor refuses to budge and big management has no vision for the future. The quality of foreign auto surpasses the quality if made in the USA so what would you do?

Meanwhile you have a great example of union thuggery in the CWA (where I was once an assistant VP). While on strike, they resort to destroying company property and disrupting service to its customers. You have union thugs threatening the lives of those who would dare cross the picket lines and one moron even went so far as to use his young daughter and place her in front of a truck that was delivering supplies to the company.

When a company makes money, it's their money to do with as they see fit. You can negotiate with them for a fair wage but in the end, walk away and find another job if you don't like what they have to offer. I worked for the phone company and they paid plenty. Then benefits were excellent and I made a very decent wage. They even paid for my schooling when I started college. They allowed me to work nights so I could go to school during the day. And they paid for all my college costs while I worked for them.

And I was just an average joe worker in the repair department answering the phone for business customers with phone problems. I dispatched repair workers. There were thousands like me across the country. And each one could have up to 2500 a year for college and night school expenses.

Not bad for a greedy big company.