UAW Aims to Restore Retiree Benefits Given Up in 2008 Crisis

At the center of a historic UAW strike against all three major US automakers is an effort against long odds to reclaim retirement benefits workers conceded decades ago as manufacturers teetered on the brink of collapse.

United Auto Worker union activists say they want back the guaranteed lifetime pension payments and retiree medical care they gave up during the 2008 automotive industry crisis. As workers gather on the picket lines, the fate of a complex, tiered stopgap benefits system hangs in the balance.

To some, the notion that employers should directly fund benefits for their former employees through retirement is ...