The sight of 200-plus union employees huddled together on the floor of their former Chicago workplace during a December sit-in struck a chord with labor-rights activists, who likened the resistance to the 1936 "sit-down" strike at a GM plant in Flint, Mich., that helped legitimize the United Auto Workers.

The employees were members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers who said Republic Windows and Doors closed its Chicago plant without paying its severance and vacation obligations to the displaced operations staff. The union eventually won its fight, and another window manufacturer plans to reopen the plant. But the workers' battle didn't end there. In early March the members of the UE Local 1110 used the momentum gained from their victory to visit union halls throughout the United States where they promoted the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would effectively eliminate secret-ballot elections and allow laborers to organize by signing a card.

More than a week later Democrats introduced the legislation in Congress. The proposed bill has become another power struggle between unions and management, potentially further fracturing the longtime tenuous relationship that was already under tremendous pressure as Detroit automakers worked to restructure labor contracts, and manufacturers nationwide shed jobs.

Union concessions over the past few years indicate labor bosses and their constituents realize many U.S. manufacturers have reached a crossroads: Either reduce wages and benefits to the level of foreign competitors or close up shop.

That was evident March 9 when Ford Motor Co. said an agreement reached with the UAW is expected to narrow the pay gap between the company and its Japanese competitors' wages. But manufacturing experts know the Big Three automakers didn't fall behind Toyota because of pay and benefits, alone. Rather, the Japanese automaker also focused on lean manufacturing and innovation to propel itself ahead of Detroit.

Siemens workers in Norwood, Ohio, assemble a stator for an industrial motor. Management changes at the plant have led to a more empowered workforce. Photo courtesy Siemens Energy and Automation

That being said, union and management collaboration will become even more important as U.S. manufacturers try to forge ahead with their continuous-improvement plans. So is it possible for two natural adversaries to come together on a strategy that will ultimately determine their survival?

Yes, says Julie Brockman, assistant professor in Michigan State University's School of Labor and Industrial Relations. "I see a real trend­ -- really based on the economy and downturn -- in partnership," says Brockman, who also serves as a consultant for the school's Program on Innovative Employee Relations Systems. "People are starting to scramble for resources. They're saying, 'We don't have the resources we need to do what we have to do for our constituents, so who else is doing similar things that we're doing? Who else has the same goals that we have, and how can we come together and do more than what we can do alone? I would suggest that is a major trend with labor and management."

Specifically, Brockman points toward a higher level of employee empowerment and increased union flexibility regarding job descriptions. Some of the more successful unionized operations have made efforts to include organized labor in their decision-making process.

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