Well, that was the problem all along. The big 3 had stood up to the UAW in the past (when they collectively owned 70% of the market) and got hammered for it with large strikes. And it didn’t take much of a strike to cripple the carmakers - what with a strike at one plant affecting many other sites. So, over the years, the bug 3 took the easy way out, allowing concessions which seemed cheap at the time (mostly healthcare). Unfortunately, healthcare costs increased many times more than other costs incurred by the automakers.