There is a very good book on the subject of how Detroit got into the financial mess it found itself in and how the Obama Administration went about the salvage operation.
It's a well written account of how such mighty giants were brought to their knees and how they were saved which otherwise would have in turned probably destroyed all of our economy.
. . . The auto unions became too strong and demanded too much from the weakened automakers who faced serious overseas competition without such heavy burdens.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/bo...pagewanted=all