Auto companies could sacrifice stock buybacks to help pay for union demands, analyst says

• Auto companies could forgo stock buybacks to pay for the costly union demands, an analyst said.
• Strikers have pointed out the billions of dollars companies have poured towards buybacks and dividends.
• Some investors have expressed willingness to sacrifice stock repurchases.

However the UAW's strike is resolved, addressing the union's demands is unlikely to come cheap for the Big Three automakers.

Think about the ask: a 36% general wage increase over a four-year contract and a return to traditional pensions, among other things. And that's drawn attention to the billions of dollars the companies have paid to shareholders.