Is There Any Way We Can Just Save the Workers?

Watching the History Channel show about the Great Depression last night made me rethink some of my venom toward the auto companies. I still think the companies brought it on themselves, and failure should not be rewarded. But the impact on potentially millions of people is pretty stark. Even the idea that there could be bread lines in America again is too much to think about. The Big Three should get their money. Big labor should be ready to compromise (which in spite of what they claim, they were not), and heavy oversight should be written into the loans. Sometimes you lose, but you don't win if you never play -- and it applies to politics, too. Southern Senators have constituencies to protect too, and the Red ones really aren't beholden to Labor for the most part. Now Labor needs the GOP's help.... hm. It's 99% likely that it's too late for the Senate to reconsider, unless Bush called an Extraordinary Session, which I doubt he would do unless GM said, "We are closing our doors tomorrow," which I also doubt. More than likely at this point, Bush and Henry Paulson will release TARP funds from the $700 Billion bailout package passed earlier this fall. What I would like to see is a very small lifeline extended from Treasury, enough to get them through the rest of this lame duck session / presidency so the new Congress will have a chance to do something more reasonable, with more oversight, and more time to work out compromises. (Like allowing American workers who work in America to unionize, instead of excluding them just because they work for foreign-owned plants. Which would probably please the southern GOP constituencies just fine... and might get labor to straddle the aisle a little more....) Is there any way we can just save the workers?