When people and companies go through a court bankruptcy they have their assets divided up to pay their debts. When a company can not pay all of their debts the list of debtors get into a line. The line is divided into 3 parts, first secured creditors(banks with outstanding loans), then General Creditors (suppliers/bond holders/other lenders), lastly stockholders. It is all based on assumed risk of investment. Least amount of risk gets paid first down to the most risk usually getting nothing. How does GM restructure and come out with the UAW getting partial ownership. If anything UAW's contracts should have been voided, and once the restructure was done, they could renegotiate terms.