"Crash Course" by Paul Ingrassia

Just started this very interesting book on the American auto industry, its beginnings, its ascent, and its recent collapse.  So far, this former Wall Street Journal writer is providing an objective view of why the industry has fallen on hard times.  Like most failures of this magnitude, both management and the union contributed mightily to the collapse.  There certainly was here "hubris borne of success" as Professor Jim Collins wrote in "Why the Mighty Fall".

Instead of watching the competition, demographics, and consumer preferences, Mr. Ingrassia writes that management and unions spent their time trying to outsmart each other.  

For example, GM used to have separate restrooms for blue collar and white collar workers; the latter having more amenities.  The UAW, on the other hand, negotiated job banks whereby seasonally laid off workers earned 95% of their regular compensation for doing nothing.  From that came, "inverse layoffs" whereby more senior UAW workers took the seasonal layoffs so that more junior worker had to work rather than drawing 95% for doing nothing.  

I will admit my anti-union animus.  Often times they have overreached.  They have perpetuated mediocrity and slothfulness.  Seniority has its place but it should not supplant worker performance, innovation, and productivity.  However, management certainly made its share of mistakes.

I often wonder if our auto industry is just the microcosm; that maybe America, overall, has fallen into this same "hubris borne of success" syndrome.