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>>Well, you can't blame it all on the unions. It takes two sides to agree on a contract.
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>True. Problem is when the Union is on strike, they have a union-only shop, and the courts side with the union to keep the company from hiring replacements..

Generally the hiring of "replacement workers" is covered (i.e. prohibited) in the labour agreemwnt that is signed by BOTH parties. So one would expect any court to uphold that which was agreed in advance.

Management that signs agreements that hurt the company in the future do their shareholders a great disservice. And, of course, their employees (including he union members) too.
There never was a case where a union had management "over a barrel". Any management team that offered that excuse for a labour agreement ought to have been summarily dismissed by the board of directors.

Unions are in deep decline these days. What has this accomplished?... simply making it far easier for employers to move jobs to China. And making it far easier for employers who are 'stuck' with workforces that must remain here to reduce benefits and extend work hours while decreasing pay rates.

Business propaganda has done an excellent job of villifying unions. And we are all paying the price as a result.