I'd start by doing away with seniority in the unions. No longer would simply being around long enough cut it. In order to win work, you'll have to do it better, faster and cheaper. (Even two out of three would be a step in the right direction.)
The main reason America cannot compete in the global market is because our stuff is more expensive and not any better quality (sometimes worse, in fact) than overseas goods. And what's worse, we have avoided trade wars like limp-wristed pansies. Whenever China or another third-rate dictatorship threatens trade wars, we cave.
Enough is enough. It's time to cut the legs out from under the anti-competitive union legacy, bring competitiveness back to capitalism, and bring the cost of our goods down so we can put China into a trade deficit for once.
I'm a UAW member (Caterpillar) and I disagree with this point. Seniority is beneficial to both parties as an older worker trains younger ones. Age does limit ones ability to do "faster and cheaper" work but knowledge is the benchmark of quality.
While young pups can work faster and accept cheaper wages, if these pups are retained in any layoffs over senior members, quality suffers.
Corporate investment in practices such as 6 Sigma, Lean Team and the Pacific Institute (Lou Tice) compounds the degradation of the quality factor as you have kids straight out of college attempting to improve production rates by charts, graphs and studies to workers who have made this or any other trade thier life's work in expectation of the best and fair compensation.
I'm ten years from retirement from CATINC and if you are familiar with the hiring practices in place now due to the last contract you would understand that CAT's ideology will turn it's machinery products into sub-standard, higher cost units.
They are hiring kids off the street in which if they maintain a "proper attitude" they will be retained, no matter what their skills or learning abilities are.