Their gripe appears to be that UAW workers largely make trucks and SUVs, which are famously inefficient and in many cases exempt from fleet standards, as well a

Their gripe appears to be that UAW workers largely make trucks and SUVs, which are famously inefficient and in many cases exempt from fleet standards, as well as having pretty dubious safety records. I don't have a lot of sympathy for this argument. Just because your union happens to make a product with extreme externalities, doesn't mean you should get a hand in slowing down legislation that attempts to internalize some of that. This is pure rent-seeking. We shouldn't keep the toxic sludge factory open just because it is an excellent employer that refuses to make less toxic sludge.