Well there's definately enough blame to go around. Certainly in the case of GM and Ford's legacy costs, which are essentially bankrupting both companies, management made a huge mistake in the 1960-70's by agreeing to the types of pension and health provisions that they did. But this was the path of least resistance, as the alternative would have been prolonged strikes. The main problems with this is that when the unions negotiate benefits and wages which make the firm itself unprofitable then no one wins in the long run. This is exactly what happened in the NHL. But as mentioned, management is the one signing these contracts so they certainly have to take some responsibility.