[f5fstop]

There is a bigger picture. Why do people, including union workers, purchase imported products? Cost!
What drives up costs in this country? The cost of doing business, labor, supplies, etc. Why is labor so high? Health care is one big item, and some of the guarantees the big companies made to the unions years ago. These agreements should be honored, UNTIL, new contracts are signed. Remember, for years GM/Ford/Chrysler were paying hundreds of millions a year to workers who were not working, but sitting on their collective arses.
The layoff policy was originally designed to keep a factory worker working if the line or the plant was shut down temporarily. However, in the past ten years, the shutdowns were no longer temp, but permanent. Thus the company had to honor the agreement, and pay these people to do NOTHING.

I am not anti-union. My mother was a member of the Communication Workers of America for over 30 years, my Dad was in the Sheetmetal Union, my grandfather stood on a bridge in Dearborn MI with Reuther and got his arse kicked. However, I am against unions who do not flex with the times. Whether or not the UAW will flex in the coming months, remains to be seen. But it appears some are going to hold strong.

I purchase US made whenever I can; however, in some cases there is no alternative. Ninety percent of my camera equipment is made in Japan or made by Nikon in Thailand or some other country. My TVs are made overseas. A number of parts on the Hummer are made overseas such as the radio, the computers, etc. (It does have a large US content thanks to the engine/trans/axles and assembly in LA.)

Unions have protected the workers, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, in the future, unions will have to understand times are changing, we are being based on a world economy, whether we like it or not. The same hold true for corporations. GM will have to learn large P/U trucks are not the answer, and start making some more extremely fuel efficient vehicles. Hell, the already make more vehicle that obtain over 30 mpg than any other manufacturer, and their quality is higher than most of the imports (or so says some of the JD Power surveys).

Time will tell if the corps and the unions learn to bend with the times. If they don't, times will be really rough in the USA.

Done ranting...