The final offer reaction.

I will have to admit that when I first heard we were watching the movie "The Final Offer" I did not know what to expect. I was surprised to find it a fairly entertaining movie that pertained to a lot of the things that we have discussed in class. I feel that the way both parties initially approached this idea was with the dual concern model. Both parties seemed to want to complete the negotiation in a timely manner with a strong relationship still intact. However, this was not the case which led to a very nasty back and forth between both sides of the table.
General Motors wanted to introduce profit sharing to the Canadian branch of the UAW, which was a concept that was already adopted by the American branch of the union. The Canadians did not want this, and instead preferred annual cost of living raises over the life of the contract. They claimed this is what the majority of the union wanted and would not be able to get a contract ratified with profit sharing on the table.
I agree that the Canadian union should have fought for what the union truly wanted. I feel that if they would have settled for something just to achieve a quick resolution this would have led to a disgruntled workforce who in turn could decertify the union.
In the end, the union was able to achieve what it wanted after a hard fought battle. After this deal was struck the union ratified the contract, and a process was put into motion to break away from the UAW. This plan eventually came to fruition, and the Canadians were able to separate for the UAW. They were able to create their own union which still stands to this day.