Mike Smith, labor historian at Wayne State University, commented in a story about the influence of the United Auto Workers (UAW) over the years. UAW membership dropped significantly from the heyday of the automotive industry decades ago. Members tallied 1.5 million in 1979, but today that number is close to 355,000, one-third of which works in the auto industry, says Smith. The two-tier system in 2007 was "a massive philosophical change for the UAW" and signified the organization was becoming more willing to cooperate with the domestic automakers in order to keep their membership numbers solvent and prevent further labor cuts. "The whole game has changed. The main issue for bargaining now is job security," Smith adds. Marick Masters, director of the Douglas A. Fraser Center for Workplace Issues and Labor@Wayne, also was quoted in the piece. Even when the economy improves, UAW workers should not expect a return to the earlier era when they were guaranteed certain pay and benefit packages and were not necessarily forced to share in the long-term success of the company, says Masters. "What you're going to see is a continuing effort to reward a leaner workforce in a way that doesn't balloon the fixed costs of the company."

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2011/1019/UAW-agrees-to-contract-with-Ford-How-much-did-the-union-give-up
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/auto-union-uaw-approves-controversial-ford-contract